THE

SHAHNiMA OF FIRDAUSl
DONE INTO ENGLISH BY

ARTHUR GEORGE WARNER,

AND

M.A.

EDMOND WARNER,

B.A.

"

the dwellings of to-day Will sink 'neath shower and sunshine to decay, But storm and rain shall never mar what I

The homes that are

Have

built

the palace of

my poetry."
FlEDAOSf

VOL.

LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER &

DEYDEN HOUSE, GERRARD STREET, W.
1905

CO. L

The

rights of translation

and

are reserved of reproduction

'>

&* Co. Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON At the Ballantyne Press

(3)

TRUBNER'S

ORIENTAL SERIES.

TO
HIS SISTER

CAROLINE WARNER
THIS

WORK

IS

DEDICATED BY HER

SURVIVING BROTHER

PREFACE
THE
interest

with which I used to look forward to

the publication of this work, the preparation of which

afforded

us
for

innumerable

happy
the

hours,

has

been
elder
It

saddened

me

of late

by the death of

my

brother and senior partner in

undertaking.

was begun some twenty years ago when he was the Incumbent of St. Mary's, Tothill Fields, Westminster,

and had but scanty

carried
far

leisure.

It

was continued and

in

toward

completion

more

favourable

circumstances after his presentation by the Grocers' Company to the living of St. Mary le Bow, Cheapside,
in 1887.

From
study
of

early

days
at

my

brother was devoted to the

Oriental

Hebrew won him

Scholarship
in

His proficiency in languages. Oxford the Pusey and Ellerton

1862 and the Kennicott in 1863. a good Arabic and Syriac scholar. During his twenty-one laborious years first as Curate

He was

also

and then Incumbent

and
I

at

Westminster he never

think, forewent for long his favourite branch of study,

may add

that

we were engaged

in revising a

passage in our joint translation almost to within an hour of his sudden death from a wholly unsuspected
heart- affection in April 1903.

He

is,

I think,

fondly remembered by many.

Such

viii

'PREFA CB
fleeting
;

memories are in the nature of things but the written word remains, and I am fain
by the publication of this work I

but

to

hope that

may

be raising to

him an inconspicuous perhaps but lasting monument. To the vast majority of English readers the Shahnama seems hardly to be known even by name a fact not to be wondered at, considering how few references are made to it in current literature, and
that
this
is

actually the

first

attempt to give the

subject-matter of the great Persian Epic at large in It has therefore seemed desirable that the English.
translation

should
the

be

accompanied
of

matter

in

forms

Introduction,

by explanatory Note, and

Argument. To prepare these has fallen to my lot, and I am accordingly responsible for the many faults
of commission and

omission that

will

be

only too

branch of the subject.

obvious to the eyes of scholars and experts in this I am also responsible with brother for the translation generally, and for
its

my
final

His share, had he lived, throughout. would have been larger and more important than mine, but his untimely death will tend to equalise our form
labours.
to

On

reviewing our work as a whole, I venture

hope that the English reader will gain from it a very fairly correct idea of the subject-matter of Firdausi's greatest achievement, and will at least learn
from the Introduction and Introductory Notes where to turn for more scholarly and authoritative information

on the subject.

thanking the Delegates of the Clarendon Press for their kind permission to

I take this opportunity of

PREFACE
make such
illustrative

ix

extracts

as

needed from

those volumes of the Sacred Books of the East Series

which contain the translations of the Zandavasta and

Pahlavi Texts by the late Professor Darmesteter and the late Dr. E. W. West respectively. These translations,

with their

introductions

and

notes, are
I

most
have

valuable to
also to

the student of the

Shahnama.

thank

my

sister,

Caroline

Warner, and
a

my
at a

nephew, George Redston Warner,

I

for occasional help.

publish our translation time, as circumstances permit.

hope

to

volume

EDMOND WARNER.
ELTHAM, February
1905.

CONTENTS
PAGE

PREFACE

vii

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER CHARTER CHAPTER

LAND AND PEOPLE POET AND POEM TEXT AND TRANSLATION III.
I.
:

II.

....
.
. .

23

76
87

LIST OF PREVIOUS TRANSLATORS

ANCIENT PERSIAN CALENDAR GENEALOGICAL TABLES

ABBREVIATIONS

'

.88
'
.

90
93
95

NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION

THE SHAHNAMA
THE PRELUDE
SECT.
1.

Invocation
Discourse in Praise of

PAGK 100
101

2.
3.

Wisdom

4.
5.

Of the Making of the World Of the Nature of Man

102

104
105

6. 7.

Of the Nature Of the Nature

of the
of the

Sun

Moon
. .

105

8. 9.

In Praise of the Prophet and his Companions On the Compilation of the Shahnaina
.

106
108

Of the poet Dakiki

10. 11.
12.

How

the present

In Praise of

Abu

Book was be^un Mausiir, Son of Muhammad

.....no
109
.

109

In Praise of Sultan

Mahmud

12

CONTENTS

THE BEGINNING OF THE HISTORY: THE PISHDADIAN DYNASTY

GAltfMART
SECT.
1.

PAGE

The

Greatness

of

Ahriman
2. 3.

........
Gaiiimart

and

the

Envy
.

of
1 1

How How

Siyamak was slain by the Div Hiishang and Gaiiimart went Div

20

HtJSHANG
1.

.....
of Hiishang

to fight the
.

Black
.

.121
122

The Accession

and

his civilising Arts

*
.
.
.

2.

How

the Feast of Sada was founded

.123

TAHMfJRAS
i.

Tahmiiras ascends the Throne, invents new Arts, subdues the Divs, and dies .126
. .
.

J AMSHfD
1.

2.
3.

The Greatness and Fall of Jamshid The Story ol Zahhak and his Father How Iblis turned Cook

......
.

-131 -135
1

37

4.

How

the Fortunes of Jamshid went to

Wrack

.139

ZAHHAK
1.

The Evil Customs

and Karma'il

2. 3.

How Zahhak
The Birth
of

saw Faridun in a Dream

Faridun

........ .......
of

Zahhak and the Device

of Irma'il

145

.147
150

4.
5.

How

Faridun questioned his Mother about his Origin 152 The Story of Zahliak and Kawa the Smith .154
.
.

6.
7. 8.

How How

Faridun went to Battle with Zahhak

Faridun saw the Sisters of Jamshid
of Faridun

159
161

The Story

and the Minister

9.

How
How How

Faridun bound Zahhak

.....
of
.
. . .
.

Zahhak

164
166

1.

Faridun ascended the Throne Faridun sent Jandal to

2.

Yaman

.174 .177

CONTENTS
(contimied)
SECT.
3. 4.

xiii

How How

the

King

of

Yaman

answered Jandal

PAGE 181

the Sons of Faridiin went to the

King

of

Yaman
5.

183
.

6.
7. 8.

9.

How Sarv proved the Sons of Faridun by Sorcery How Faridun made Trial of his Sons How Faridun divided the World among his Sons How Salm grew envious of Iraj How Salm and Tur sent a Message to Faridun
.
.

184

.186
.

189

189
.

191

10.
11. 12.
13.

Ho \v How How

Faridun made Answer to his Sons

Iraj
Iraj

193

went

to his Brothers

How
How

was slain by his Brothers Faridun received Tidings of the Murder of

.

.197 .199
202 205 206

Iraj
14.
1

5.

a Daughter was Born to Iraj The Birth of Miniichihr

....
.
.

6.

17.
1

8.

19.

How Salm and Tur had Tidings of Miniichihr How Faridun received his Sons' Message How Faridun made Answer to his Sons How Faridun sent Miniichihr to fight Tur
.
.

208

209

.211
and
215

Salm
20.

21.
22.

How Minuchihr attacked the Host of Tur How Tur was slain by Minuchihr How Minuchihr wrote to announce his
Faridun

....
.
.

.218
220
221

Victory to

23.
24.

How Karan took the Castle of How Kakwi, the Grandson

the Iranians

the Alans
of

223
225

Zahhak, attacked
.

25.

26.

How How

and was slain by Minuchihr the Head of Salm was sent to Faridun
fled

Salm

227 229
232

27.

The Death

of Faridiin

MlNfJCHIHR
1.

How

Minuchihr ascended the Throne and made an

237
.
.

Oration
2.

The Birth

of Zal

239
243
*

3.

How Sam
Son

.........
Knowledge
of the

had a Dream touching the Case of his

Case of

4.

How

Minuchihr took Sam and Zal

248

xir

CONTENTS
(continued)
SECT.
5.
. . .

MINUCHIHR

PAOB

6.
7.

8.

9.

10.

11.
12.

How Zal went back to Zdbulistan .251 How Sam gave the Kingdom to Zal -253 How Zal visited Mihrab of Kabul .256 How Rudaba took Counsel with her Damsels 259 How Rudaba's Damsels went to see Zal 263 How the Damsels returned to Rudaba 267 How Zal went to Rudaba 270 How Zal consulted the Archimages in the Matter of
.

'

Rudaba
13. 14.

........
. .

273
275 278 280

How Zal wrote to Sam to explain the Case How Sam consulted the Archmages in the
Zal

Matter of

15.

16.

How How How

Sindukht heard of the Case of Rudaba

Mihrab was made aware

Minuchihr heard
of

of Ids

Daughter's

Case
17.

284
the

Case of

Zal and

Rudaba
1

8.

19.

20.
21. 22. 23. 24.
25.

26.

How Sam came to Minuchihr How Sam went to fight with Mihrab How Zal went on a Mission to Minuchihr How Mihrab was wroth with Sindukht How Sam comforted Sindukht How Zal came to Minuchihr with Sam's Letter How the Archmages questioned Zal How Zal answered the Archmages How Zal displayed his Accomplishment before
. .

..... ....
. .

288

289
292
295

299
301

.... ....
.

306 308

309
311

Minuchihr
27.
28. 29.

Minuchihr's Answer to Sam's Letter

.314
316 320 324
327

How

Zal came to

Sam

The Story

30.
31.

32.
33.

Rustam How Sam came to see Rustam How Rustam slew the White Elephant How Rustam went to Mount Sipand How Rustam wrote a Letter announcing
of the Birth of
to Zal

.... ....
.

330
332

his Victory

34.
'35.

The Letter

of Zal to
last

Sam

Minuchihr's

Counsels to .his Son

....

334
335

CONTENTS
NAUDAR
SECT.
1.

xv

PAGK

2.

3. 4.

How Naudar succeeded to the Throne How Pashang heard of the Death of Miniichihr How Afrasiyab came to the Land of Iran How Bdrman and Kubad fought together and how
. .
.

339
342
345

Kubdd was
5.

slain

.......
.

346

6.
7.

8. 9.

10.

11. 12.
1

3.

How Afrasiyab fought with Naudar the second Time 350 How Naudar fought with Afrasiyab the third Time 352 How Naudar was taken by Afrasiyab -355 How Wisa found his Son that had been slain 356 How Shamasas and Khazarwan invaded Zabulistan 358 How Zal came to help Mihrab 359 How Naudar was slain by Afrasiyab 362 How Zal had Tidings of the Death of Naudar 364 How Ighriras was slain by his Brother 367
'.
. .
.
.

....
.

ZAV
i.

Zav

is

elected

Shah

370

GARSHASP
1.

How

2. 3.

Garshasp succeeded to the Throne and and how Afrasiyab invaded Iran How Rustain caught Rakhsh
.

....
.
.

died,

374

378

4.

How Zal led the Host against Afrasiyab .381 How Rustam brought Kai Kubad from Mount Alburz 382
.

INDEX

39

INTRODUCTION

ERRATA
Tritd and Traitna read Trita 7, line 25 and elsewhere, for and Traitana.' Page 9, line 16 and elsewhere, for Azarbijn read Azarbdijdn. Page 10, reference number 2, after R insert P.

Page

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Page Page

13,

bottom, for

'NESH

'

read

'

NSEH.'
from the other
side,

17, delete lines 8-10,

and read

'

we may add

that Peter the Great gained temporary possession of Darband in A.D. 1722, but it was not finally annexed by Russia till A.n.
1813.'

Page Page

19,

reference

number

3, delete iii.

31, delete lines 13-16,

and read that

'

this minister is referred to

on both occasions.' Page 34, five lines from bottom, delete While read While I o'erlooked from far.' Page 37, line 22, for Arudi read 'Arudi.'
' ' ' '

sat looking on

'

and

'

Page 39, reference

number

i,

delete

i.

and
i.

vii.,

spiritual conception of the Deity in 'All in vii.'

and read The too and the references to

'

Page Page Page

Page Page

43,

for fakka read fakkd '.' 62, after reference number 7 insert DZA,

note

'

'

'

2,

i.

209.

68, line 9, end,

add
'

'or identical with,'

'

and add

to reference

number

i,

NIN,

15.
'
' ' '

69, bottom, for 108 read 107.' 71, line 19, after Oxus insert Caspian.' reference number 6, end, add notes.'
'

Page Page Page Page

88, lines 12 and 26, for Farvardin ' 89, line 4, for Din read Dai.'
' ' ' '

'

read

'

Farwardin.'

'

90, for

generations
:

read

'

92, read thus

'A female descendant or

generation.' relative = KAi KAtis (12).'

I

Siydwush

Page Page Page

106, line

n, beginning,

for 'The' read '/n.'

113, line 18, add full stop at end. 118, line 4, for 'mountain of the holy' read
I

'Mountain of the
slain by the Div.'

Holy.' Page 1 20, delete line

and read,

'

How Siydmak was

.

Page Page

126, line i6,for 'gold' read 'good.' ' 130, line n, after gallery' put . .

ERRATA
Page Page Page Page Page
,,

130, line 23, for

i.

'

have read

'

'

find,'

and add

to reference 4,

WPT.

142. ' ' 131, line 15, for They' read they.' 132, line n, add full stop at end.
' '

138, line 29, delete thou my 142, 5 lines from bottom, for
,,

and read
' '

'

any.'
' '

'

downstricken read down-stricken.' Aspik&n read

'

4 lines from bottom, for

' ' '

Aspikan.'

Page
,, ,,
,,

143, line 7, for i read 2.' line 15, /or '2' read '3.' ,, ' line 31, for 3 read '4.' ,, line 33, for '4' read 5.' ,,
' '

Page Hand of and read slain by.' Page Page 239, line 21, for made read make.' Page 293, add to end of note, 309, 346. Page 307, line 7 from bottom, after 'lasso' add 'V Page 325, line 1 1, for Sam read Zal.' Page 342, line 3 from bottom, for Knowhow read Know how.' Page 351, side reference, read '259.' Page 354, line 21, for Guzhdaham read Gazhdaham.' Page 355, line 4 from bottom, delete comma at end. Page 366, line 12, delete 'not.' Page 381, line 4 from bottom, for plants' read plans.'
'

' 175, line 13, for He read Be.' 227, line 21, delete 'Slain by the
' ' '

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER
I

LAND AND PEOPLE

chief scene of Firdausi's Shahnama, is on the north by the Steppes, the Caspian bounded the Kiir and Rion rivers, on the south by and Sea, the Indian Ocean, on the east by the valley of the Indus, and on the west by that of the Tigris and Euphrates, and by the Persian Gulf. At present it includes Persia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and small portions of Russia and Turkey. It is a lofty and for the most part a rainless table-

IRAN,

the

land traversed by numerous mountain-ranges divided from each other by flat plains and falling away toward the centre, which is a desert white with salt scurf The mountains are or dun with powdery dust. of the the tableland round and intercept edges highest

Some moisture, however, finds rainless even into the region, where it gathers way hills in the form of snow. winter on the higher during This snow-water is carefully husbanded, and distributed
most
of the rainfall.
its
is,

by means of underground water-courses. The interior however, drying up, and city, village, and cultivated field are being gradually overwhelmed in dust and
shifting sands. Possibly as
late

as

early

historical

times

very

INTRODUCTION

conditions prevailed. The lower plains and depressions once formed a series of lakes that
different

suggested the appearance of an inland sea, and such

names

as island, port, lighthouse, &c., are said to still survive in places as a relic and indication of the old state of things, 1 while a considerable body of water

found in the eastern half of the central on the frontier between Persia and Afghanisdepression tan. This region is now known as Si'stan, but in ancient times was called Drangiana or the lake-country, a name which survived much later in its former capital " " Zarang, and as Zirih is still used in connection with
is
still

to be

its lake.

From
for

April

till

late in the

autumn

the sky, save

an occasional thunderstorm among the mountains, is an unclouded azure, in winter a good deal of snow falls, and in spring the thunderstorms are heavy and

frequent.

The air is, as a rule, remarkably healthy, but on the borders of the deserts the inhabitants have sometimes to live shut up for weeks together to avoid the pestilential blasts. 2 The favoured regions are those that front west and north respectively. They are splendidly wooded and extremely fertile, all the ordinary flowers and fruits of Europe do well, while in the district between the Alburz Mountains and the Caspian, and known as Mazandaran, the climate is semitropical and the vegetation most luxuriant. Here rice, the sugar-cane, the vine, the orange, and the olive flourish. 3 In the few watered valleys of the long southern coast the climate is tropical in character. The tamarisk and mimosa are largely represented, and here and there
are groves of date-palms.
1 E.g., near Kasbin, on the road between Tihnin and Hamad.in, and at Barchin, a village near Maibud to the north of Yazd. GHP, i. 13;

KA,
2

ii.

473.
ii.

MHP,

367.

DHA,

v. 9.

INTRODUCTION
The immediate neighbourhood
of the salt-deserts

is

the haunt of the wild ass or onager and of the antelope, the slope of the mountain-ranges of the wild sheep or
of the wild goat or ibex. The reclaimed and watered are the favourite home of the sandgrouse, and the highlands of the eagle, the vulture, the falcon, the raven, the crow, and the nightingale the bulbul of the poets. The acorns of the western slopes attract the wild swine, which in turn tempt the lion from the reed-beds of the Tigris and the cover of its tributaries. 1 Swine, too, abound in Mazandaran and afford food for the tiger which flourishes there, the dense undergrowth and vegetation of that region affording it as good shelter as an Indian jungle. 2 Here, too, are found
argali,

and

their

summit

tracts

artificially

woodcock, and pheasant. of the more country generally we may add Speaking to this list leopards, wildcats, wolves, bears, hyaenas, foxes, snakes, scorpions, vipers, lizards, the partridge,
deer, buffalo, swan, waterfowl,

and the

lark.

The

chief domestic animals are the ox,

the sheep, especially the fat-tailed variety, the horse, the camel, and the mule. { ran is a land of sharp contrasts, of intense heat and
cold, of

of dead level

by

sudden and abnormal changes of temperature, and steep ascent, of splendid fertility hard Its lifeless desolation, of irrigation and dust.

natural characteristics find expression in the ancient are told that Urmuzd cosmogony of its people.

We

created earth as a lovely plain Principle bathed in a mild perpetual radiance, fanned by soft temperate airs, bounteously provided with fresh sweet

the

Good

and clad in a smooth and harmless vegetation. Here the First Man and the First Ox dwelt in peace and happiness. Ahriman the Evil Principle broke into this fair scene and all was changed. Gloom
waters,

minged with

light,
1

the seasons' difference began, the

2

EP,

ii.

30.

id. 34.

INTRODUCTION

seas turned salt, the streams dwindled, the vegetation

grew rough and thorny, dronght came and dust and desert; mountain-ranges sprang up from the plain, and the man and ox were stricken with disease and died; but from the body of the former sprang the first human pair from whom all the earth was overspread, and from the body of the latter all other harmless, useful, and beautiful animals, while Ahriman in opposition to these created all noisome and hideous insects, reptiles, and creatures sharp of fang or claw. Let us now turn from the land to the people. For us there is no occasion to discuss questions of race from any very modern standpoint. For us it is rather what ethnical views obtained in ancient Iran and moulded its traditions. As to these there is happily
little

room

for

of the Persian empire

doubt, Darius Hystaspis, the founder and the greatest of its historic

On the Shahs, having decided the matter for us. rock of Bihistiin he recorded his great achievements in a trilingual inscription, the languages employed being ancient Persian, Babylonian, and Scythian. The obvious explanation of his proceeding is, that he recognised in the population of his vast empire three
mankind, and, regarding language as it to emphasise that great In thus fact. political distinguishing he followed a true philological instinct, and his distinctions still
distinct races of

distinctive

of race, used

largely obtain at the present day. Each of his three languages represents a great division of human speech. His view, as we shall see, agrees with the traditions

and legends of
to restore the

his race, and if some modern Shah were empire of Darius, and wished to imitate

the example of his great predecessor, he would still have to choose languages typical of the same three divisions. In what follows, therefore, language is made the basis of classification, and the divisions thus classified are

commonly

called the Indo-European, the Semitic,

and

INTRODUCTION
"first

the Turanian respectively. It is with peoples of the division that we are chiefly concerned, and only so far as these came into contact with peoples of the other
latter.

two

divisions

are

we concerned about

the

of history we find peoples speaking which, languages theoretically at all events, may be traced back to one primitive tongue, holding similar religious notions and organised politically as inde-

At the dawn

pendent self-governing tribes, in possession of large geographical areas both in Europe and Asia. They thus fall into two great divisions an European and an
Asiatic
race.

and are generally known as the Indo-European The Asiatic branch seems to have occupied in

early times the neighbourhoods of Balkh, Harat, Marv, and possibly. of Samarkand. It described itself as

Aryan or noble, as opposed to all those with whom it came into contact, much as the Greeks divided mankind into Hellenes and Barbaroi. It was organised into three orders or castes priests, warriors, and husbandmen. Its religion was a frank worship of
Its priests were fire-priests, was an especial object of adoration along with the other beneficent powers of nature Mitra or Mithra, Yama or Yima, Trita, Traitana, and others. Opposed to these were the malignant spirits of drought and darkness, as, for instance, Azi or Azhi, also known as Dahaka the biter, the serpent-fiend. Water was ever growing scarcer, and drought or plenty turned in the imagination of a primitive people on the struggle of the good and evil spirits for its possession. The former

personified natural forces.

and

fire

appeared in the lightning-flash, while the gloomy convolutions of the thunder-cloud suggested the idea that fiends in serpent-form were striving to carry off the
the heavenly waters as distinguished precious fluid from the earthly waters and hinder it from descending to the help of man. The cloud the rain-bringer

INTRODUCTION
rain-stealer.

was perversely regarded as the

spirits

The good

hastened to the rescue, the lightning-flash clove the cloud, and the demons dropped their booty. The serpent-fiend had to be combated for other reasons too, for his bite brought fever, disease, and death. Accordthe divine side side with ingly physician appeared by the divine hero, Trita with Traitana, and became, as we shall see later on, merged into a single personality in Iranian legend. Sacrifices were offered, and the of the drink-offering juice of the Soma or Horn a plant
forth. The plant is usually identified as 1 the Asclepias acida or Sarcostemma viminale. being The Aryans also worshipped the spirits of their

was poured

ancestors,

and were believers in what

is

called

sym-

pathetic magic. They anything in the remotest

thought that injury done to

way connected with their themselves injuriously. Even the knowledge of their name might be turned to their hurt, and we shall find instances in the poem of children being brought up unnamed to avoid that contingency. At a period which cannot be put at less than four thousand years ago the Aryans themselves divided, and while a portion descended to the Indus and became the dominant race in India, the rest remained and gradually took possession of all that was habitable in the vast region that consequently became known as the land of the Aryans or Iran. The Aryans thus became separated an Eastern and a Western. With into two branches the former we are but little concerned the legendary story of the latter is the theme of the Shahnama. Of these Western Aryans the two most famous peoples have ever been the Medes and Persians. own persons would
affect
;

1 The plant grows in the regions about Samarkand and Balkh in the north and in Kirmiln in the south. The shoots were pounded in a mortar, and water being added a greenish liquid was produced, which having been strained was mixed with milk and barley or wild rice and allowed to ferment. The product was intoxicating. See GHP, i. 36
;

DHA,

iv.

53.

INTRODUCTION
The Medes, whose modern representatives, seem to be the Kurds, appear in ancient times
if

any,

been a loose confederation of kindred tribes into numerous settlements, each under its local headman or chief. 1 They seem to have had no supreme political head or king to unite the race under one central authority. Their common bond, if any, was a religious one under their priests, the Magi. According to their own traditions the original seat of the race was " Iranian seed," and this has been well Iran-vej, i.e., identified with the district of Karabagh, the ancient Arran, the 'Apiavia of the Greeks, between the Kur and the Aras, where the Anti-Caucasus forms the true north-western scarp of the tableland of Iran. 2 In
historical times, however, we possession of the province of its ancient title, Atropatene.
first

have broken up
to

find the

Medes

in

Aza.rhffi.Ti

nr
,

to give it

The

Pers'ians

occupied

from time immemorial the country on the eastern shores of the Persian Gulf, now represented by the modern provinces of Farsistan and Laristan, and were ruled by kings of the house of Achaemenes. These two peoples, closely connected as they were by language and race, became in the days of Darius Hystaspis dominant in Iran, and to this domination the Medes appear to have contributed the religious, the Persians the political, element. Between the Medes and the Persians lay in ancient times, as we learn from Assyrian and Babylonian records, other kindred peoples the

kingdom
five miles

of Elam, with its capital at Susa, some twentywest of the modern Shuster, and the kingdom

of Ellipi, in the neighbourhood of the modern Hamadan. The Iranians as a whole were bounded on the west by

Semitic and on the north by Turanian peoples. On the east they were conterminous with the Aryans of India, and ultimately they came into contact with the Western
1

The " kings of the Medes" of Jer. xxv. DZA, i. 3 and notes; KA, i. 45.

25.

io

INTRODUCTION
well, notably

Indo-Europeans as

Romans. was

As the cosmogony and

with the Greeks and religion of the

Iranians were largely derived from their physical, so their tradition from their ethnical, environment.
are concerned with all three, but especially with their tradition. The remainder of the present
will

We

the last

chapter

therefore

be

devoted

to

brief,

and

necessarily dry,

summary

of their historical relations

with the Semites as represented by the Assyrians in early and the Arabs in later times, with other IndoEuropean races represented by the Greeks and Romans in the west and by the Hindus in the east, and with the Turanians as represented by the Kimmerians,
Scythians, _Parthians,

Huns and

Turks,,
the numerous

The Irdnians and

the Semites. --In

contemporary records of the Assyrians we find many references to the Iranians. The whole of the western
frontier of f ran, from the Medes in the north to the Persians in the south, seems to have been subjected at

one point or another to almost constant aggression, by mere raids but later on by attempts at permanent conquest, at the hands of the great warriormonarchs of Nineveh Shalmaneser II. (B.C. 858-823), 1 Samas Rimmon II. (B.C. 823-8io), 2 Rimmon-nirari III.
at first
3

(B.C.

8IO-/83),

Tiglath
6

Pilesar

III.

(B.C.

745-727),*
6

(B.C. 705-68 1), Sargon (B.C. 72 2-705 ), Esarhaddon I. (B.C. 68i-668), T and Assurbanipal (B.C. 8 The attempts at permanent conquest 66S-626). date from the reign of Sargon. The long reign of Assurbanipal falls into two periods, a former of great extension and conquest, and a latter when the tide began to turn and the Assyrian empire, overstrained and exhausted, showed signs of decay. Finally, in the reign of Esarhaddon II., Nineveh fell (B.C. 606), over1

Sennacherib

RPNS,
Id.
iii.

iv.

38-51.

R,

i.

11-22.
ix.

DHA,

ii.

326.

4 7

3-5.

RP,

3-20.

RPNS,

vi.

83-101.

RP,

iii.

103-124.

Id., ix. 39-64.

INTRODUCTION
whelmed by

11

a confederacy which included the Medes. no Probably empire was ever less lamented by the world at large, for we have the Assyrians' own word for it that their warfare was attended with every circumstance of cruelty and horror. They hold indeed a bad pre-eminence in that respect over all the other

nations of antiquity. With the fall of Nineveh serious Semitic aggression ceased, so far as the Iranians were concerned, till after the Christian era had begun. Arabia was at that epoch

extremely prosperous, and carried on a vast caravan traffic in native produce and imports from India with the west and north. When, however, Rome had become recognised as the centre of the world, her merchants soon hit upon a less circuitous and consequently cheaper route. They started a direct traffic between India and the Red Sea, whereby merchandise, instead of being landed in Southern Arabia and thence conveyed northwards by land, was discharged at Arsinoe, Cleopatris (Suez), and other Egyptian ports. As a result, Southern Arabia the most fertile and populous region of the peninsula was ruined, and in time, both there and along the lines of the old caravanroutes, only massive remains of cities, canals, dams, and aqueducts were left to witness to a lost prosperity. A vast population was thrown out of employment, and the Arabs began to emigrate northward as early, it would
first century A.D. The Azdites in this founded the of Hira and Anbar on the cities way till the and were lords of Damascus Euphrates, days of the Khalifa 'Umar. Other tribes from the south settled in the mountains of Aja and Salma, to the north of Najd and Al Hajaz. These Northern Arabs were divided in their allegiance between the Roman and Sasanian empires; and their quarrels among themselves, their restlessness and inconstancy, made them thorns in the sides of both, and led to many

seem, as the

12

INTRODUCTION
The
have been largely due
defeat of Julian by Sapor II. is said to the defection of the Arab

difficulties.

to

allies of the former, while western frontier of Iran was run by them as far north as The havoc caused was often

on the other hand the

always liable to be overand including Azarbijan. great, and the retaliation,

on occasions,

ferocious.
rise

Muhammad the Arabs became and After his great religious political power. death in A.D. 632 he was succeeded in turn by Abu Bakr anH~T5TnafTin the course of the ten years of the latter's rule Iran was conquered by his generals after the three great battles of Kadisiyya and J alula in A.D. 637, and Nahavand, A.D. 641. A dynasty of high officials of the Sasanian empire still held out and maintained the ancient faith in the fastnesses of Mazandaran, 1 but Iran as a whole was both from a religious and a The religious political point of view submerged.
With the
of

conquest proved to be permanent, but after a time national feeling began to re-assert itself against the political, as the following brief summary of events may serve to show. 'Umar appointed a committee of five to select the next Khalifa after his death. After long debate they chose 'Uthman, but subsequently repenting of their choice three of the five brought about his assassination after a reign of twelve years, and nominated 'All as Khalifa (A.D. 656). 'Uthman

was of the Umayj^ad family, and its head Mu'awiya, then governor of Syria, took up arms to avenge him. Neither had any direct claim to the Khilafat, but 'Ali was the son of Muhammad's uncle Abu Talib, and had married the prophet's daughter Fatima, known as " " 'Ah' the maiden." Muhammad had said of him in the is for me, and I am for him he stands to me same rank as Aaron did to Moses; I am the town in which all knowledge is shut up, and he is the gate
: ;

NSEH,

139.

INTRODUCTION
of
it."
l

13

be regarded as associated in a very with the prophet, and was known as his special way executor or mandatary, and also as the Lion of God, or simply as the Lion. Mu'awiya, on the other hand, was the son of one of Muhammad's bitterest opponents, and had nothing o but his own abilities to recommend him. In the heat of the contest which ensued some of
'Ali carne to
'All's

followers in their zeal for

him went

too far.

They

not only claimed the Khilafat for him by divine right, but actually denied that Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman had any title to be regarded as legitimate Khalifas at This shocked and drew a good many of the all. faithful into Mu'awiya's camp, and the two parties became known as Shi'ites (partisans) and Sunnites
(orthodox).
"se'ctT

In the event an extreme Muhamrnadan

as Kharijites (dissenters), which arose at denied the rights of both candidates,
"

Tmown
time,

that

advocated the bestowal of the Khilafat on

and came

the best," to the conclusion that the true course out

of the difficulty would be to remove both. 'Ah' was accordingly assassinated, but Mu'awiya escaped and became Khalifa without further dispute. 2 The wrongs

many thought them, had taken hold on the popular mind, especially in Iran, and were intensified when his son Husain the grandson of Muhammad himself was slain by Mu'awiya's son and successor Yizid, A.D. 68 1. The Umayyads, whose chief support lay in Syria, had necessarily to rule from Damascus, and this tended to slacken their hold over
of 'Ah', however, as

Taking advantage of this fact, feeling about 'Ah' to their own the of 'Abbas, one of Muhamdescendants advantage, mad's uncles, gradually undermined the position of
possessions.

their Eastern

and exploiting the

the reigning house, till at length in the year A.D. 750, with the assistance of the Persians, they supplanted

the

Umayyads everywhere except

1

in
80.

Spain.

The

OHS,

331.

NESH,

14

INTRODUCTION
the 'Abbasids was a half triumph
for

triumph of

Persian nationality, and the fact was recognised by the abandonment of Damascus as the seat of empire, and a

return to the old state of things that had prevailed

under the Sasanians by the building of Baghdad and the transference to it of the seat of government. Another triumph was won when, after the death of Harumi'r-Rashid, his son Mamiin, whose mother was a Persian slave, overcame with Persian help his brother Amin, who was supported by Syria. Mamun was the
'Abbasid Khalifa (A.D. 8 1 3-833). Decline soon In A.D. 86 1 the Khalifa Mutawakkil was murdered by his own son, and the 'Abbasids became thenceforth insignificant, having little power outside the walls of Baghdad and dependent chiefly on the forbearance of their mayors of the palace, if the expression may be applied to Eastern history, who preferred
last great

followed.

own supremacy behind the reverence still Khalifas in their religious aspect as the inspired by Commanders of the Faithful. In the tenth century this office was held by the Dilamids, who claimed descent from the ancient Persian kings and were fervent Shi'ites.
to veil their

They ruled over Western and Southern Iran, posing In the while as the Khalifas' most obedient slaves. the north and east the Samanides, who claimed to be descended from the famous Iranian hero Bahram
Chubina, but were in reality of

Turkman

political supremacy supreme. i ran was at an end. The Iranians and the Greeks and Romans. The historic strife between Persian and Greek is so familiar to us that it is hard to realise that the only portion of it in Iranian legend that in any way coincides with authentic history is that which deals with the invasion of the East by Alexander the Great and even this is mostly based not on native but Greek tradition, so modi;

The

descent, were of the Arabs in

fied

by Iranian patriotism as

to gloss over or explain

INTRODUCTION

15

away the great overthrew of the East by the West. A genuine native tradition dating from those times would be extremely interesting, and it is very disappointing not to have it. Nothing survives of
Alexander the Great in native Iranian legend except a conviction that he was one of the great persecutors and destroyers of Zoroastrianism^ This will be referred to later on, when we have to touch upon the preservation of Iranian tradition in general. It would seem as if the long predominance of the Roman empire on the stage of history had obliterated the memory of most of
the
the great events of earlier ages and distorted that of should expect, however, that at least the rest.

We

itself during its greatest period would recognition, especially an event so glorious for the East as the overthrow of Crassus at Carrhae

Roman empire
receive

some

tion

but again we are disappointed. The explanaseems to be that during the whole period of the rise and greatness of Rome, f ran was under foreign dominaAt all events tion, first Grecian and then Parthian.
(B.C. 53),
it is

not

till

we begin to find common ground history, and this is not till the
Christian era.
to
Till

a native dynasty rules again in Iran that in Iranian and Roman

third century of the

then

Rome

obliterated Greece only

be ignored

itself in all

but the name.

Iranian tradi-

tion

knows of Ruin but of nothing behind it. The frdnians and the Aryans of India.
us
is

In this

chiefly a religious one. From the date (B.C. 250) of the conversion of the Indian king, Asoka of Magadha, to Buddhism that extend rapidly. faith began to Asoka, like all

case the interest for

sincere converts,

was an enthusiast, and in

his reign

Buddhism was preached not only

in India itself but in

Eastern f ran, and even so far west, it is said, as the shores of the Caspian. 1 It prospered much and continued to hold its own in Kabulistan till A.D. 850,
1

DHA,

iv,

543

Gray,

" At the Court of the Amir," 143

HIE,

149.

16

INTRODUCTION
replaced the Buddhist.
It

when a Brahman dynasty

of the

was probably not much before the eleventh century

Christian
in

era that

Muhammadanism

finally

1 To the Zoroastrian, triumphed regions. no less than to the however, Muhammadan, Buddhism and Brahmanism were alike idolatry, and this view has The left, as we shall see, its mark on Iranian legend. fierce wars carried on against the idolaters of India by the Muhammadans of Eastern f ran at the end of the tenth and the beginning of the eleventh century have also their mark. left^ The Irdnians and Turdnians. Savage, barbarous, and uncouth, the nations of the North have always been notorious for the disgust and terror with which they have inspired the higher civilisations of the South. The Turanians were little better than the Assyrians in their treatment of vanquished foes, and decidedly worse in aspect. In the most ancient times of which we have

those

any record, the great highway for these nations southward lay between the Caspian and Euxine Seas. They had therefore to cross the barrier of the Caucasus, which
is

said to be only passable, save by expert Alpine climbers, in three places, one at each end and one near the centre. Of these the most practicable for large

bodies of
of

The Caucasus
the

lay along the flat shores of the Caspian. stops short of that sea, and only one spur range running in a north-easterly direction

men

nearly approaches it. Between this spur and the sea, where the passage is narrowest, stands the town of Darband. Here, according to the legend, Sikandar, i.e.

Alexander the Great, built a mighty barrier to restrain the incursions of Gog and Magog, i.e. of the Turanians. Such a wall extending across the Pass of Darband was actually built for that purpose by the great Sasanian Shah Niishfrwan, the contemporary of the Emperor Justinian, and those two rulers agreed to share the
1

EHI,

ii 415, &c.

INTRODUCTION

17

expense of preventing barbarism from penetrating south of the Caucasus. 1 Two centuries later, when the Khazars, a Turkish race from what is now Southern Russia, captured Tiflis and wrought great havoc, the 'Abbasid Khalifa Mansiir erected defensive works and secured the whole region up to the great mountain-barrier. 2 Coming down to later times, and regarding the matter from the other side, we may mention that one of Peter the Great's first acts after his accession to the throne was to make sure of Darband. The first historical invasion by a Turanian race is that of the Kimmerians of Homer and Herodotus, the Gomer of the Bible and the Gimirra of the Assyrian inscriptions, who appear to have dwelt in early times on the Dniester and the Sea of Azof, whence they were driven by the pressure of kindred races whom the Assyrians called Manda. Traversing the Pass of Darband they settled for a time north of the Aras, where undoubtedly they must have come into contact with the Medes. Being still pressed upon from the north, they made an unsuccessful attempt to invade Assyria in B.C. 677, and then turned westward into Asia Minor. 3 In the wake of the Kimmerian invasion came the cause of it the Sacae or Scythians, who seem to have forced the line of the Aras, to have overrun the territory of the Medes and the kingdom of Ellipi, and to have established as their capital the famous city of

Ekbatana, the modern Hamadan, in what has always been known in ancient history as Media Magna. It seems to have been this domination of the Sacae at Ekbatana that has been recorded for us in history as the Empire of the Medes. The confusion appears to
GDF, v. 87-89. In RSM, 352, this arrangement is said to have begun in the reigns of Yazdagird II. and the younger Theodosius. The reader will find a picture of Darband (Derbent) and its wall in KA, i. 76.
1

2
3

NSEH,
SHC,

138.

124.

INTRODUCTION

have arisen from the similarity between the Assyrian words for Medes and nomads respectively, the former being Mada and the latter Manda, coupled with the fact that the Mada and Manda both formed part of the confederation which, under the leadership of Kastarit, the Kyaxares of the Greeks, overthrew Nineveh. 1 The empire of the Manda at Ekbatana the so-called Median Empire continued till themiddle of thesixth century B.C. It shared the dominion over Western Asia with Babylon and Lydia, and was no doubt the cause of the elaborate defensive works with which Nebuchadnezzar, mindful of the fate of Nineveh, sought to make his
impregnable: it held the overlordship of In the year B.C. 550, however, Cyrus, fran. king of Elam, rebelled against his overlord, Istuvegu of Ekbatana, the Astyages of the Greeks, and overthrew him in the following year. 2 Cyrus then subjugated the Persians, entered Babylon in B.C. 544, conquered Asia Minor and all the tableland of f ran, united its tribes for the first time in history under one government, and became known to TateF times as Cyrus the Great. He is said to have extended his conquests to the Jaxartes, on the borders of which he erected fortresses to hold the nomad tribes in check, 3 and the Greek historians, with the exception of Xenophon, represent him as perishing in a war with the Scythians. The legend of Cyrus and Tomyris, the queen oF fEe' Massagetae, told 4 by Herodotus, is well known. Cyrus' second successor, Darius Hystaspis, the false Smerdis being left out of the question, also carried the war into the enemy's country, and advanced beyond the Danube in B.C. 513, though not very successfully, to avenge, as Herodotus tells us, 5 the Scythian invasions which preceded the fall
capital

Western

of the Assyrian Empire. In the century after the death of Alexander the
2

Id. 499.

3
5

DHA,

v.

22

vi. 103.

Id. iv. I.

INTRODUCTION

19

Great the Parthians, reinforced by another Turanian tribe known as the Dahae, rebelled against the
Seleucids
Iran,
till

(B.C.

250),

and became the dominant race in

a successful revolt (A.D.2 26^ placed the native Sasanian dynasty on the throne. During their long

domination the Parthians in their turn suffered from the incursions of kindred races from the North, in much the same way as the English settlers in Britain

The second century before the Christian era was marked by great activity on the part of the Turanians, and the whole border of fran from the Hindu Kush to the Caspian was overrun
suffered from the Danes.

were defeated and and Parthian was the slain, Empire only saved from Foiled by him the overthrow by Mithridates II. Turanians turned to the East and permanently settled in Eastern fran, in the region which has ever since been called after one of their peoples, Sacaestan or Si'stan, the stead or home of the Sacae (c. B.C. 100). Another Turanian people, known as the Alans or Alani, who first appear, it is said, 1 in Chinese annals, were on
II.

by them. Phraates

Two Parthian monarchs

and Artabanus
II.

in succession

the Volga in the first century of the Christian era. Pressed upon by the Huns, who had defeated them in a
great battle, they overran Media and Armenia, some of them finding their way into the Caucasus, where their
2 Thence in A.D. 133, descendants, it is said, still exist. at the invitation of Pharasmanes, king of Iberia, they invaded Azarbijan and Armenia, ravaged the country,

and had to be bought off by Vologeses II., the Parthian monarch of the time. The Huns, who had been instrumental in precipitating the Alani on Iran, were themselves in flight before other hordes. A large contingent of them seized and settled upon the oasis of Samarkand or Sughd. Here, im3 proved by long settlement both in aspect and manners,
1

GDF,

iii.

315-316, and note.

Id.

Id.

iii,

312.

20

INTRODUCTION

they became known as the White Huns; or to the Iranians, who carried on many wars with them, as the
Haitalians.

middle of the sixth century of the name of the Turks begins to appear in history. Spreading from Mount Altai, or the Golden in Central Asia, they extended themselves Mountain, over the northern half of the continent, subjugating
Lastly, in the

Christian era the

other nations the Haitalians. The empire of the Turks only lasted about two centuries, 1 but the tribes and nations of which it was composed were

among

spread over the north of Asia from China to the Oxus and the Danube, and under the name of Turkmans have proved a permanent menace to the northern
frontiers of Iran.

The 'Abbasids soon learned

services of
their

to avail themselves of the

Turkman
It

chiefs in the administration of

was thus that the Samanids first under the Khalifa Mamiin, only, as power we have seen, to make themselves independent under
empire.
rose to
his degenerate successors.

About the year A.D. 961 a disputed succession occurred among the Samanids. The rightful heir in the direct line was a boy only
eight years old, and for that reason, as the times were troublous, a party among the nobles declared in favour The matter was of his uncle, his father's brother. referred for settlement to the Samanid governor of

a man of Turkman descent named Alptigm but before his decision arrived the dispute had been settled and Mansur had succeeded to the throne. Alptigin had given his decision in favour of the uncle, and being fearful of Mansur's vengeance he withdrew from Khurasan and carved himself out a small He died in A.D. 969, and after principality at Ghazni. two short reigns the troops elected Subuktigin to be their chief. He was a Turkman, had been brought up

Khurasan

GDF,.v. 175

INTRODUCTION
in the

21

household of Alptigin, had subsequently acted

of great ability and courage. speedily enlarged his dominions and those raids into India which became so frequent began

as his general,

and was a

man

He

in the days of his more famous son. In the meantime the Samanid ruler Mansiir had died, and his son, the

Amir Nuh II., was driven from his capital at Bukhara by a Turkman invasion instigated by two of his own
nobles,
flee

who

for

their

subsequently, however, were compelled to lives. They appealed for aid to the

Dilamids
it.

On

this the

the rivals of the Samanids and obtained Amir Nuh II. himself appealed for

help to

Subuktigin,

who marched

to his assistance.

great battle was fought at Harat, and Subuktigin The Amir in his gratigained a decisive victory.

tude bestowed
or Defender

on

him

the

title

of

Nasiru'd-Din,
eldest

of the Faith,

and

on

his

son

greatly distinguished himself, that of Saifu'd-Daula, or Sword of the State, as well as the governorship of Khurasan. This happened in A.D.
994.

Mahmud, who had

Three years

later

Subuktigin died.

He

left

three

Isma'il, and Nasr, and appointed Isma'il sons, Mahmud seems to have behaved well, to succeed him. but after vain attempts at conciliation and compromise he was compelled to assert himself against his brother, who was speedily overthrown and ended his days in

Mahmud,

The other brother, internment as a state-prisoner. Mahmud. Nasr, supported Shortly afterwards the Samanid dynasty flickered out after the death of the Amir Nuh II., and in A.D. 999 Mahmud formally assumed the sovereignty, an event which is duly noted on his coins by the prefix of Amir to his own titles, and the omission of the name of the Samanid overlord which previously had been retained by the rulers of Ghazni. 1 Mahmud was then twenty-eight His career as a great conqueror and years old.
1

EHI,

ii.

479.

22

INTRODUCTION
known.
to

religious fanatic is well

His domination ex-

tended from

the

Bukhara to the another claim upon our memories. His name was to become for ever associated with that of the poet of the Shahnama who had despaired in those troublous times of obtaining any adequate royal patronage for his long formed design of moulding into song the epic history of his land and people. It was a moment of high hopes for many, for the young and ambitious prince, for the ambitious but no longer youthful poet, and for all who either by birth or adoption had the welfare of Iran at heart. The Arab yoke had been shaken off, Persian was reviving in the literature, old Iranian names were being resumed, and there seemed the fairest prospects for the establishment of a third Persian empire with Mahmiid for its first Shah. It Half Iran is true that religious differences remained. was Shfite and the other half Sunnite, 1 but save for
seemed a stroke of fair fortune that made the great king and the great poet contemporaries.
that
it
1 Persia did not The Turkman element was strongly Sunnite. become thoroughly Shi'ite till the sixteenth century. NSEH, 101.

the Tigris, and from Punjab He has, however, Indian Ocean.

CHAPTER

II

POET AND POEM

THE most
trustworthy materials for the
life

of Firdausi

are to be found in his

own

personal references, there

being probably no poem of considerable length in which the writer keeps himself so much in evidence as Firdausi does in the Shahnama. Next in authority
to his

given
his

of

own statements we must him by Nizami-i-'Arudi

entitled
"
]

place the
of

account

work

Samarkand in Chahar Makdla," i.e. " Four Dis-

courses."

They

and Physicians
anecdotes.

are on Secretaries, Poets, Astrologers, respectively, and consist chiefly of

"

of these, in the Discourse on Poets," of Firdausi. Unfortunately gives the valuable account it throws doubt on the authenticity of the extant

One

the Satire on Sultan version of one of his compositions Mahmiid, only a few lines of which, if Nizami is to be
believed, can be regarded as Firdausi's own. They suffice, however, to indicate one good reason for the
poet's difference with Mahmiid and the general line that he took in his literary revenge, though that Sultan, it is pretty evident, never even heard that the In addition to the poet had written the Satire at all
!

above-mentioned sources of information there are two formal biographies of the poet. One, which dates about A.D. 1425, was compiled by order of Baisinghar Khan, the grandson of Timur the Lame, and is prefixed
to the former's edition of the text of the
It is apparently

based on an older metrical

1

life

Shahnama. of which

BCM.
23

24
it

INTRODUCTION

preserves some extracts, and is itself the basis of most of the biographical notices of the poet, including that in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The other, which

dates about A.D. 1486, is in Daulat Shah's "Lives of " the Poets, and is preferred by the writer of the article
in the Biographic Universelle. Both are Ferdoucy used by Mohl in the preface to his edition of the text and translation of the Shahnurna, and both are full of
" "

mythical details. Let us first confine ourselves to the statements in the poet's undoubted writings and to legitimate deducHe calls himself Abu '1 Kasim, and tions therefrom. we gather, that he was born about A.D. 941. We In the whole arrive at this in the following way. Shahnama there is only one definite date that on which he finished the poem. This, mixing up the Muhammadan era with the Zoroastrian calendar, he tells us he did on the day of Ard in the month of Sapandarmad of the year 400 of the Hijra. This particular year, for the Muhammadan years are lunar and

vary accordingly, began on August 25th, A.D. 1009, and ended on the I4th day of that month in the year Therefore Firdausi finished the Shahnama following. on February 25th, A.D. 1010. He gives his one date in the concluding lines of the poem, where he also
says
:

When

erne

and seventy years had passed me by

before

The heavens bowed down

my poetry.

This
i.e.

finished his

fairly interpret as meaning that he work when he was seventy-one years old, about sixty-nine, as we reckon, since thirty-four

we may

Muhammadan
This
lude.
2
1

The poet was

is

years go to about thirty-three of ours. a Muhammadan of the Shi'ite sect.

clear

from his reference

*

to 'All in

his Pre-

C, 2095.

In this volume

7.

INTRODUCTION
Moreover, he was not a the matter of wine-drinking
strict

25

Muhammad an

in

The time to quaff delicious wine is now, For musky scents breathe from the mountain-brow, The air resoundeth and earth travaileth,

And blest is he whose heart drink gladdeneth, He that hath wine and money, bread and sweets, And can behead a sheep to make him meats.
These have not I. Oh pity one that
!

Who
is

hath them well

!

is he.

in poverty

And

again

Hashimi Bring tulip-tinted wine, From jars that never need replenishing.
!

Why seek I who am

The
world's grace
fit

deaf at sixty-three

and observance

He

soon after has a

of repentance

Old man whose years amount to sixty-three Shall wine be still the burden of thy lay ? Without a warning life may end with thee
;

Think

May

of repentance then, seek wisdom's way. God approve this slave. May he attain
3

In wisdom riches and in singing gain.

He owned

at least or occupied land that conclusion passages suggest

;
:

the following

A cloud
The

hath risen and the moon's obscured,

is

From that dark cloud a shower of milk No river plain or upland can I spy,

poured,

raven's plumes are lost against the sky, In one unceasing stream egg-apples fall What is high heaven's purpose in it all ?
:

No

meat or barley-grain till harvest come again Amid this gloom, this day of tax and fear, When earth with snow is like an ivory sphere, All mine affairs in overthrow will end Unless my hand is grasped by some good friend.
fire-wood salted
left

Are

me, naught

V, 1630.
4

C, 1457.
last line

Id. 1460.

Id., 1487.

Reading

with P.

26

INTRODUCTION
again
:

And

The

Though death

hail this year like death on me hath come itself were better than the hail,

And

heaven's lofty far extending

dome
to fail.
!

Hath caused

my

fuel sheep

and wheat

In some he alludes

complaining of the advance of old age, him when he was fifty-eight, or it may be that an escape from drowning, which he seems to have had about that time, had a This accident will be resobering effect upon him. He says ferred to in another connection later on.
verses,

to a calamity that befell

Since

took up the cup of fifty-eight

else, I contemplate. sword-like speech when I was thirty, Those luscious days, musk-scented, roseate 2

The

bier
!

and grave, naught

Ah

for

my

At the age of
At

sixty-five
'tis ill

he

lost his

son

sixty-five
!

Oh let me read that lesson And muse upon the passing

to catch at pelf. to myself of

my

son.

My

turn

it

was

to go yet

he hath gone.

Seven years and thirty o'er the youth had sped When he distasted of the world and fled.

He

hurried

off alone.

I stayed to see

The outcome

of

my

labours. 3

In the year following his son's death he speaks of himself as being much broken
:

score years and five were passing by, Like Spring-winds o'er the desert, poverty And toil were mine next year like one bemused I leaned upon a staff, my hands refused

While three

C, 2089.
3

V, 680.

C, 1951-

INTRODUCTION
The

27

my cheeks grew moon-like pale, my beard black hue and camphor-like appeared, Mine upright stature bent as age came on And all the lustre of mine eyes was gone. 1
rein,
its

Lost

He never speaks of himself as having any profession or official position, but if we may hazard a conjecture it is that he or his son or both were educated for the office of
scribe.

He

fession into the

puts the following glorification of that promouth of Buzurjmihr, the famous chief
still

minister of the

more famous Shah Nushirwan

2
:

Teach to thy son the business of the scribe That he may be as life to thee and thine, And, as thou wouldest have thy toils bear fruit,

Grudge not instructors to him, for this art Will bring a youth before the throne and make The undeserving fortune's favourite. Of all professions 'tis the most esteemed, Exalting even those of lowly birth.

A ready scribe who is a man of rede

Is

bound
if

to sit e'en in the royal presence

he be a man of diligence, Will have uncounted treasure from the Shah, While if endowed with fluency and style He will be studious to improve himself, Use his endeavours to be more concise And put his matter more attractively. The scribe hath need to be a man of wisdom, Of much endurance and good memory, A man of tact, accustomed to Court-ways, A holy man whose tongue is mute for evil,

And,

A man of knowledge, patience, truthfulness, A man right trusty pious and well-favoured.
If thus

He

endowed he cometh to the Shah cannot choose but sit before the throne. 3

However this may be, from the time when he became his own master he appears to have devoted himV, 1274. The poet also represents this Sh^h as being highly indignant when a wealthy cordwainer, in return for valuable services, ventures to ask as a favour that his son may be made a scribe. C, 1778.
2
3
1

C, 1676.

28

INTRODUCTION
poetry.

self to

Referring to the completion of the

:

Shahnama he

says

My life

from youth to eld hath run its course' In hearing other and mine own discourse. 1

have already had an allusion to his " sword-like " speech when he was thirty, and we know that between the ages of thirty-five and sixty-nine he was occupied on the Shahmima. He tells us in a passage that will be quoted later on that he spent thirty-five years on
i.e. about thirty-four years as we reckon. The prose materials for this, he informs us, already had been embodied in book-form, 2 and the idea of turning them into verse had suggested itself to the

We

that poem,

poet Dakiki, a young

vicious habits, who 3 of his own slaves.
his priority:

man

of brilliant parts but of

was murdered by the hand of one Dakiki had only just begun his he was task when cut off, but Firdausi admits great
Although he only rhymed the veriest mite One thousand couplets full of feast and fight He was my pioneer and he alone In that he set the Shahs upon the throne. From nobles honour and emolument Had he his trouble was his own ill bent. To sing the praises of the kings was his And crown the princes with his eulogies.*
;

Dakiki seems
Firdausi took

to

have died about

it

A.D.

976,

for

up

the work and

the next thirty-four years as found himself hampered through lack of the necessary What those were will be explained later materials. on in the present chapter. He made countless in-

employed him for we reckon. At first he

and began to despair, fearing that like Dakiki he should not live to complete his undertaking. He
quiries
1

C, 2096.

See Prelude, 4 V, 1555-

8.

Id.

9.

INTRODUCTION
also suffered

29

from lack .of patronage and encouragement.

The times were troublous and men's minds were otherwise occupied. At length both the needful materials and the patron were vouchsafed him. The former were obtained for him by a friend and fellow-towns1 The latter he found somewhat later in the man.
person of
local

Abu

Mansiir bin

Muhammad,

probably a

magnate, who warmly encouraged him and treated him with the greatest kindness and generosity. This, we may venture to assume, was one of the

He was in the epochs in the poet's life. flush of a great and enduring enthusiasm the means of gratifying it were in his possession he held
happiest
first
; ;

and his material future seemed assured his noble, rich, and generous patron would see to that. Alas that patron died murdered like Dakiki, but by in whom and what circumstances we know not. The poet was overwhelmed for a time, but he persevered and kept in mind his patron's counsel that the Book of
the
field,
: !

Kings (Shahnama) when completed

2

should be dedi-

cated to kings. In course of time the poet found other patrons, notably one Ahmad ibn Muhammad of Chalandshdn, to whom in A.D. 999 he dedicated a

Firdausi was staying with Shahnama. he had the escape from drowning already referred to, and he seems to have been rescued either by Ahmad himself or by Ahmad's son. This 3 The poet, howpassage is not in our printed texts. ever, had never forgotten the advice of his former patron, the beloved Abu Mansur, and in this same year The last king of the Samanid his opportunity came. dynasty died and Mahmiid became supreme in Eastern Henceforth it was to Mahmiid that the poet Iran. looked for patronage, and he appears to have left

complete

Ahmad when

Prelude,
3

10.

Id.

1 1.

NIN,

23, 24.

3o

INTRODUCTION

If adulation could no stone unturned to gain it. have achieved his end he ought to have succeeded. The reader will find a specimen in the present

volume. he says

Elsewhere in another elaborate panegyric

:

God

bless the

Shah, the pride of crown and throne

And

signet-ring, bless him whose treasuries groan With his munificence what while the fame

Of majesty

is

heightened by his name.

O'er all the world one carpet hath been placed

His token nevermore

to be effaced

And on

it

are a cushion
of

and a
a

seat

For Fazl, son

Ahmad,

man

replete
fear
;

With justice, prudence, rede, and godly No Shah before had such a minister.

In his hands is the peace of all the state For he is good and chief of all the great, Frank-spoken, with clean hands and single heart To serve God and his sovereign is his part.

With

My

this wise upright minister for friend far-extending labour reached its end. I framed this story of the days of yore,

Selected from the book of

men

of lore,

That it in mine old age might yield me fruit, Give me a crown dinars and high repute, But saw no bounteous worldlord there was none Who added to the lustre of the throne.
;

waited for a patron patiently

key.

One whose munificence required no

When

and when in truth I had lost my youth, A proclamation reached mine ears at last Whereat care aged and all my troubles pass'd.
I

was

fifty-eight,

I still felt

young though

It ran

"

Ye men

of

name who long

to find
!

Some

trace of Faridiin still left

behind

See bright-souled Faridiin alive again With earth and time for bondslaves.

He

hath ta'en

Prelude,

12.

INTRODUCTION
The world by
justice

31

and by

largessings,

And

exalted o'er all other kings. Bright are the records of his earlier day, And may he nourish, root and fruit, for aye." Now since that proclamation reached mine ear
is

I wish not any other sound to hear In his name have I fashioned this my And may his end be universal sway. 1
;

lay,

Prelude

12 of the The reader will note that both in and in the passage just quoted Firdausi As the couples Mahrmid and his minister in eulogy. Prelude is retrospective, we may venture to assume
minister was, because as it was written last the if inopportune would not have been inserted.
in

who that
reference

There can hardly be a doubt that

both passages the

same minister is referred to Fazl, son of Ahmad. The passage from which the above extracts are
It seems to have taken is a very important one. been penned a few years before the completion of the Shahnama, for the poet was over sixty-five at the time.

had lately received some some encouragement, promise of patronage or reward from Mahmiid or his minister or both, whereupon he wrote this panegyric and prefixed it to the section that he had been engaged on or had taken in hand when the announcement of Mahmiid's accession

The

extracts suggest that he

definite

first

reached him.

If

Mahimid, who was of Turkman

descent, point hardly seems final overthrow of Afrasiyab, the great protagonist of the Turkman race, at the hands of the Iranian Shdh

had strong

racial proclivities, the section in to be well chosen, for it tells of the

Kai Khusrau. Perhaps Mahmud had become more Such cases are not unIranian than the Iranians.

known

in history.

At

all

events

we know

that his

minister Fazl, son of Ahmad, or to give him his full title Abu'l 'Abbas Fazl bin Ahmad, had franian
1

V, 1272-1274.

32

INTRODUCTION

he changed the official language for state documents from Arabic to Persian. After -his fall his successor, Ahmad Hasan Maimandi, returned to the old 1 At the time when the poet wrote the arrangement. above passage Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl must have been at
leanings, for

the height of his power, say about A.D. 1 006. We are told on the authority of Al 'Utbi that he was one of the most celebrated of book-students, and Al 'Utbi,

who was Mahmiid's

It

secretary,

ought to have known.

is very hard to resist the inference that Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl had given the poet encouragement, and that the latter looked to him to secure a fitting re-

The ception by Mahmud of the poem when finished. idea that the Shahnama seems to have been poet's
be regarded as Mahmud's memorial, while the work were to be devoted to some which was to be regarded as his own special object memorial

was

to

profits of his great

Of all the tilings that earn our monarch's The things of chiefest profit in his days,
This will best serve to keep his

praise,

memory

rife

And And

and parcel of his life, I am hoping to live too till I Receive his gold that when I come to die
live as part

I too may leave my monument with things Drawn from the treasury of the king of kings. 3

If the poet put his faith in Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl he was doomed to disappointment. In the meantime we have

a lamentation over hopes deferred, royal neglect which may have been intentional or merely unwitting, and
active opposition
|
i!

Six times ten thousand couplets there will be Well ordered banishers of misery. For thrice a thousand couplets one may look In vain as yet in any Persian book, And if thou cancellest each faulty strain In sooth five hundred scarcely will remain.
25, note.
2

NIN,

KUR,

396.

V, 1730.

INTRODUCTION
That one

33

And

lustre

a bounteous king and of such worth mid the monarch s of the earth
histories is

Should disregard these

due

To slanderers and mine ill fortune too. They have maligned my work, my marketing
through lack of favour with the king, shall read My pleasant histories with all good heed I shall be gladdened by his treasures here,
Is spoiled

But when the royal warrior

And may no foeman's ill approach him near. My book may then recall me to his mind And I the fruitage of my labours find.
Be
his the

crown and throne while time

1

shall run,

And may

his destiny outshine the sun.

is

At another time he
The dear

plunged in despair

What

delights of earth, the sovereign sway, boot they 1 Soon thy rule will pass away. Blest is the pious mendicant and wise,

Whose ears oft feel the world's rough pleasantries, For when he passeth he will leave behind A good name and a good conclusion find. His portion is in Heaven and in God's sight

He

will have honour.

in

Such

is

not iny plight

Who am

wretched
!

case, calamitous,

With all that I Beyond recall

possess sent Hellward thus No hope in Heaven I see,

My hand

is

void, both worlds have ruined

me

2
!

In moments of disappointment, too, and at periods probably years apart, the poet gives vent to his feelings not only in respect to his own times but even to Mahmiid himself. The expression of them is put into the mouths of some of his characters, but the prophecies are of the sound type made after the event and evidently the poet's own handiwork
:

A time is coming when the world will have A king that is devoid of understanding, A king whose gloomy spirit will work woe
The world
1

will darken 'neath his tyranny

2

C, 1998.

Id. 1587.

34

INTRODUCTION
And good will ne'er be found among his He will be ever gathering fresh hosts
To win
treasures.

his crown new fame but in the end This monarch and his hosts will pass away, And there will be a change of dynasty. 1
:

And

again

The warrior

will despise the

husbandman,
fruit
;

High birth and dignity will bear no Then men will rob each other, none

will

know

A blessing from a curse,

Will turn to

and secret dealing Prevail o'er open, while the hearts of men
;

flint, sire will be foe to son son will scheme 'gainst sire a worthless slave Will be the Shall, high birth and majesty

And

Will count for nothing no one will be loyal. There will be tyranny of soul and tongue
; ;

A mongrel race
Will come

Iranian, Turkman, Arab to be and talk in gibberish. 2

3

passages, in Professor Noldeke's opinion, refer to Mahmud and to the circumstances of clearly The latter occurs nearly at the the poet's own time.

These

end of the poem, and

is

put into the mouth of the

the fatal

commander

of the Persian host just before

battle of Kadisiyya, A.D. 637.

At length the

great

work

is

finished,
:

but the poet's

mood

is still

one of despondence
five

When
I

and sixty years had passed me by

my work with more anxiety, But as my yearning to achieve it grew My fortune's star receded from my view.
viewed
Great

men and

learned Persians had for

me

work all copied out gratuitously While I sat looking on, and thou hadst That I was toiling for my daily bread.

My

said

Naught but their praises had I for my part And, while they praised, I had a broken heart. The mouths of their old money-bags were tied,
1

C, 1294.

Id. 2064.

NIN,

26.

INTRODUCTION
Whereat mine ardent heart was mortified. 'AH Dilam and 'bu Dulaf these two Helped me to bear mine undertaking thro'

35

Theae ardent souls, my fellow townsmen, they Were kind and sped my work in every way.
Ha'iy son of Kutib, a Persian he, take from me and withhold my fee, But furnished gold and silver, clothes and meat

Would not

From him
Loll on

I got incitement, wings and feet. Taxation, root and branch, I know not, I

my quilt at ease. When seventy one years of my life had passed me by The heavens bowed down before my poetry.
And
For five and thirty years I bore much pain Here in this Wayside Inn in hope of gain, But all the five and thirty years thus past

Naught helped

And my

Now

men gave my travail to the blast, hopes too have gone for evermore that mine age hath almost reached fourscore.
;

For ever lusty be Mahmud the king, His heart still glad, his head still flourishing. Him both in public and in private I Have praised so that my words will never die. Of praises from the great I had my store,

The

For ever may he

praises that I give to him are more. live, this prudent king,

And
I

see his undertakings prospering. have bequeathed as his memorial This book, six times ten thousand lines in

all. *

There are other references by the poet to his work and his hopes concerning it, but it is believed that the most important passages have now been set forth. If then we had no other sources of information than That the these, what should we gather from them ? in the of to the work and life succeeded poet prime materials of Dakiki, and laboured at his task for many years under various patrons but not receiving such
recognition as in his
1

own opinion
of the

his deserts merited

C, 2095.

The readings

names of the

poet's friends are

79.

taken from Nizdmi's quotation of this passage.

BCM,

36

INTRODUCTION

of

that he thought he saw his opportunity in the accession Mahmud and did his best to avail himself of it

that he received some encouragement if not from the Sultan himself at least from Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl, the

and achieved his task early in A.D. some years before that date there had been opposition to him at Court, his work vilified and his character misrepresented that these intrigues ultimately prevailed, and that he never received the reward for his labours that a perhaps somewhat too fervid temperament had led him to hope for or expect
chief minister, i o i o that for
;

that for years after the completion of the poem he still hoped on, was nearly eighty when he finally
despaired, but to the last continued to praise Mahmud. Now if we seek to look further into the causes of

Firdausi's disappointment we have at hand a plausible and even probable explanation, but one for which we Just have, at present at all events, no direct evidence. about the time when the Shahnama was completed

Mahmud's
disgrace.

chief minister, Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl, fell into He had once been in the service of the

but when Mahmud became governor of Khurasan in A.D. 994, his father, Subuktagin, applied to the Samdnid prince, Nuh bin Mansur, for the services of Abii'l 'Abbas on behalf of his son. Acof Mahmud's househe became the steward cordingly hold at Nishapur, and, after Mahmud's accession, chief minister. He is said to have made use of his to enrich himself, and his administration is position stated to have been so oppressive that Khurasan was devastated and depopulated, but this of course need not be taken too literally. The Sultan, however, became concerned with regard to the diminution of the levies and the falling off in the revenue, and
Samanids,
remonstrated with Abii'l 'Abbas, who threatened to In A.D. i o 1 1 after long negotiations, the resign. Sultan, enraged at his conduct, imposed a fine of
,

INTRODUCTION

37

100,000 dinars upon him, and, as he still deferred payment, had him imprisoned and put to the torture. His enemies availed themselves of his disgrace, and of the Sultan's displeasure and absence on one of his numerous campaigns, to have the fallen minister done to death in A.D. IOI3. 1 The suggestion then is that the poet lost his chance owing to the troubles in which the minister became involved just about the time when the Shahnama would be ready for presentation to Mahiniid and
;

picture to ourselves the remorseless intrigues of an Oriental court intrigues sticking at no atrocity and shrinking from no meanness we can well imagine
if the unfortunate minister really had taken an interest in the poet's work, there would not be wanting those who would only be too willing out of mere spite

when we

that

patron through the poet. may be, the latter, indignant at the treatment he had undergone, or smarting under the sense of unmerited neglect, set about writing a Satire on Sultan Mahmiid, of which, according to Nizami-iArudi, only the following five couplets survived in his days. They run as follows

to strike at the

However

this

" Yon prater hath grown old," they flung at me, " In love toward the Prophet and 'AH."

That

love, if I shall

speak of
for

it,

implies

Five score

Mahmuds
its

me

to patronise.

but a worthless thing to be a king. Had e'er the Shah a turn for goodness shown He would have seated me upon the throne. Because his kindred is of mean estate He cannot bear to hear about the great.
slave-girl's brat is

The

Although

father

came

In the extant version of the Satire that we follow, 2 which consists of 102 couplets, the above couplets
1

KUR,

396.

Cf. too
2

EHI,

ii.

486

iv.

148.

C, 63.

38

INTRODUCTION

appear not in this order but separately as the 1 1 th, 27th, 83rd, y2nd, and 76th respectively, with some Here they read rather discondifferences of reading. an have but appropriate context in the nectedly, extant version of the Satire. We learn from them that one of the charges brought against the poet was that he was a heretic of the sect of the Shi'ites, and this may have weighed with the orthodox Mahmud. The poet for his part develops the old taunt of the If now we turn to the slave who became a Shah. extant version of the Satire, and accept it as genuine
in spite of

what Nizami

interesting information. as Firdausi of Tus. Tus

says, we get additional and The poet speaks of himself

was formerly a city of much importance in Khurasan, and its ruins are still to be seen some seventeen miles N.N.W. of Mashad. He tells us that he spent thirty years over the Shalinama,
it was presented to Mahmud, who had promised a worthy but gave him a very inadequate reward little more than one-seventh of what he expected

that

street sherbet-seller in

and that he publicly gave away the whole of it payment for a drink. He
us that
to

to

also

informs

trampled

Mahmud threatened to have him death by elephants, and he ends by

tell

cursing the Sultan.

We now pass on to what Nizami has to more than a hundred years after the death
poet.

us

of the

Abu'l Kasim Firdausi was one of the landed proHe was a native of a village called prietors of Tus.

Bazh, which formed part of one of the quarters, disHe was a man of tricts, or suburbs of the city. of and independent means, which were importance He had one derived from the income of his land. his of labours on the and the sole daughter, object Shahnama was to obtain the funds necessary to provide her with a dowry.

When

he had completed the

INTRODUCTION
work
it

39

Abu

was transcribed by 'Ali Dilam and recited by He was much in favour with Ha'iy, son Dulaf.

of Kutiba, the governor of the city, who treated with all consideration in the matter of taxation.
'Ali

him

Dilam transcribed the Shahnama in seven volumes, and Firdausi set off for Ghazni with Abu Ahmad Hasan Maimandi, Mahmiid's chief Dulaf.
minister, befriended

him, and

the

poem was duly

The presented to the Sultan, who accepted it. minister, however, had enemies, who pointed out that Firdausi was a heretic, as some of the verses in his
Prelude to the Shahnama showed, and the result was that the poet got much less than he expected. He went to the bath in deep chagrin, and on coming out divided the sum that he had received between the bath-man and a sherbet-seller of whom he had bought
a drink.
1

Then fearing the wrath

of

Mahmud he

fled to

Mahmud Harat, where he lay hidden for six months. sent messengers after him to Tus, but not finding him
they turned back, on which the poet ventured to go there himself, taking the Shdhnama with him. 2 Thence he journeyed on to Tabaristan, whose ruler treated him kindly. There Firdausi wrote his Satire on

Mahmud, read the Shahnama

chief
of

it

to the chief,

and offered

to dedicate

to

him

instead of to the Sultan.

The

himself one of Mahmud's vassals, and he persuaded the poet to let the dedication stand, and bought the Satire of him for one hundred thousand drachms a thousand for each couplet. He then destroyed it, and Firdausi himself destroyed his own rough copy, only five verses
Tabaristan,

however, was

We here the five already given. remaining extant of our version the Satire. append Assuming that it
1

really seriously offended with Firdausi it seems strange that the latter's estate at Tus was not confiscated on this

2 If

and 7. Mahmtid was

occasion.

40
is

INTRODUCTION
in essentials the poet's
will agree

bably
in

his

handiwork the reader prowith the prudent chief of Tabaristan opinion that the sooner it was suppressed

the better.

SATIRE ON SULTAN MAHMUD.

The

Ho Shah Mahmud who hast as victor trod climes! if man thou fearest not fear God,
!

For there were many Shahs ere thou hadst birth crowned monarchs of the earth And all of them pre-eminent o'er thee In treasure, host, throne, crown, and dignity. They did no act that was not good and right, Went not about to swindle and to spite, Dealt with their subjects justly and were naught

Who all were

If not God's worshippers.

They only sought

thus to gain
-

From time an honoured name and

An

honoured end but all good folk disdain Shahs that are bound in filthy lucre's chain. What though the kingship of the world is thine, Dost ask what boot these whirling words of mine
;

Thou hast not seen my heart in its fierce mood, Thou reck'st not of my sword a-drip with blood I am But term'st me faithless, heretic A lion, and thou callest me a ram
! !

" Yon ribald hath grown old," men flung at me, " In love toward the and 'All."

But

is

there, tell

me

this,

Prophet one viler yet

Than he whose

heart against 'AH

is set ?

These two I serve till Resurrection-morn E'en if the Shah should have my body torn Asunder. I will love these two kings though The Shah's sword be above, my head below.
I

serve the Prophet's slaves, the dust revere

J

mandatary's foot. No fear " Thou shalt be brayed thy threats By elephants and have thy body made A river Nile," for mine enlightened mind

Upon His
Have

I for all

Place for the love of these two souls shall find

'AH.

INTRODUCTfON
Within my heart. What said the inspired Lord Of bidding and forbidding Heaven's own word ? "I am the City of the Doctrine, he That is the gateway to it is 'All." I witness that His heart is in that word As though, as thou may'st say, His voice I heard. If thou bast mind and wit and rede to hand By Prophet and 'All take up thy stand. If ill result to thee mine is the breach Thus is it, and I practise what I preach. Thus have I done from birth, thus will I die
; ;

41-

64

The dust upon

the Lion's

foot

am

I.

What

others say can

;

make no

difference

To me

never speak but in this sense, And if the Shah adopt another strain His wisdom weigheth not one barley-grain.
I

When God shall set the Prophet and 'Ali On royal thrones I, if my poetry Came from my love to them, shall in the
Have
five-score like

skies

Mahmiid

to patronise.

And

While earth remaineth it will have its lords, all that wear the crown shall hear these words
I of Tiis

"Firdausi

Mahmud
Have

as patron.

your friend, disclaim I wrote in the name

;

Of the Prophet and

'Ali

for their sake I

pierced so many gems of fantasy." So long as there was no Firdausi here

The

Yet on

fortune of this world of ours was sere, this tale of mine thou wouldst not look

Misled by one

who

vilified

my

book,

But may all those that vilified my strain Expect revolving heaven's help in vain.
These
stories of the sovereigns of old

Had I in mine own charming language told, And when my years had almost reached fourscore

My hopes
Here
Because
I

in this

were scattered to the wind. I bore Wayside Inn the toil so long
*

hoped for treasure through my song Of sixty thousand noble couplets spent On warlike topics, and their argument

The The

lasso, scimitar, artillery,

battle-axe, the falchion brandished high,

'Ali.

42

INTRODUCTION
The The
casque, the mail, the charger's armature, wilderness, the ocean, stream and shore,

Wolf, dragon, elephant, and crocodile,

Of

Pard, lion, and 'Afrit, the cunning wile Ghiil, the sorcery of divs whose cries

Reached heaven, the heroes famed for enterprise Upon the day of battle (these I sing), The heroes combating and glorying, Men too of no mean rank or name obscure But such as Salm Afrasiyab and Tiir, Shah Faridun and Kai Kubad and fell Zahhak the tyrant and the infidel, Garshasp and Sam whom Nariman the bold
Begot world-paladins of mighty mould Hiishang and Tahmuras the Div that bound, With Minuchihr, Jamshid that Shah renowned, Kaus and Kai Khusrau with crown upon His head, and Rustam, and that famous one Of brazen form, 1 Giidarz and his delight His eighty sons, those Lions of the fight And horsemen of the plain great Shah Luhrasp,
Zaiir the captain of the host, Gushtasp, Jamasp who shone among the host on high

More

brightly than the sun doth in the sky, Dara son of Darab, Bah man, the great Sikandar chief of all that ruled the state Withal too Shah Ardshir, Shapur his son, Bahrain and Nushirwan the virtuous one. Such is the famous and exalted throng That I have made the subject of my song,

All dead for ages but my poetry Hath caused their names to live again, for I Have raised these dead, as Jesus did, and made Their names live, one and all, and I have laid

A servitude upon myself for thee,

O
king
!

to

keep thy name in memory.

that are the dwellings of to-day Will sink 'neath shower and sunshine to decay,

The homes

But storm and rain shall never mar what Have built the palace of niy poetry.
This story shall be read by every one Possessed of wisdom while the ages run
1
;

Asfandiydr.

INTRODUCTION
But that was not thy promised recompense, Nor did I hope reward in such a sense.

33

A slanderer (my

curse

upon

his

head

!)

Extracted evil out of what I said For good, destroyed my credit with the king

And made my glowing

coal a frigid thing. If thou~Ea3st been a judge of honest ways,

And

hadst bestowed a thought upon

my

lays,

Thou wouldst have said that I have paid my dues The talent that was given me to use In full. My words have made the world to grow
Like Paradise.
Before

me none

could sow

folk no doubt Flung them in countless multitudes about, But, though they were so many, up to nouNo one hath ever mentioned them, I trow. For thirty years exceeding toil I bore

The

seed of words.

Unnumbered

And made

the Persians live in Persian lore.

Unless the worldlord had close-fisted grown I should have had a seat upon the throne ; He would have placed me there, but common sense Hath never been the monarch's excellence. Had he himself been royal by descent He would have heeded royal precedent, For, had his sire been Shah, he would ere now

Have set a crown of gold upon Or had his mother been a lady

my
I

brow,

Had
But

stood in gold and silver coin knee-high

since his kindred are of

mean

estate

He

cannot bear to hear about the great.

three
l
!

The bounty of this Shah of high degree Hath altered nine times nine to four times The travail of this Book of Kings I bore
The Shah might recompense me,
set

For thirty years that from his treasury's store

me

free

high degree Among my peers. He oped his treasury's door And gave a sherbet-seller's 2 fee, not more,
give
1

From worldly needs and

me

rien," to the
2

" Mohl, who has a slightly different text, translates rien et moins que which he admits to be pure conjecture. To us it seems a reference amount expected and the amount received by the poet. " Fakka " seems to have been In the a " fakka "-seller.
original
Cf. the

barley-water flavoured with raisins, or else some sort of beer. Greek 0oOcr/ca (Latin posca, sour wine).

44

INTRODUCTION
On whom
I

spent

it

in the public
!

A fit recipient of such royal pay A king devoid of honour, sense of right,
And
The
To
Is

way

faith as this

is, is

slave-girl's brat is
it

not worth a mite. but a worthless thing

Although

may be

fathered by a king.

good from them may flow but to lose our thread's end when we sew Or put a viper in our pouch to grow. If thou shalt plant a tree of nauseous fruit In Paradise itself and drench the root, When moisture is required, from Heaven's own
raise the vile that

rill

Of purest honey, the old nature still Will show itself at last thou wilt procure Fruit no less nauseous than the fmit before.
;

If

by perfumers' .stalls thy

steps are bent

Thy clothing will catch somewhat of the scent, And if thou visitest a charcoal Jack Thou wilt get naught from him that is not black.
That miscreants should do
ill is

no strange
birth
is

case

Hope nothing then from one whose

For none can furbish
off the

base,

gloom

of night,

And washing
To look
for

will not

make an Ethiop

white.

good from an ill stock to rise Is but to throw the dust in one's own eyes. The worldlord, if an honoured name he bore, Would have esteemed right dear this branch of lore And listened to such various tales as these Of ancient ways and royal usages, Would not have met my wishes with disdain

Or
I

let the

labour of

my

life

be vain.

have a purpose in these lofty rhymes The Shah perchance will be advised betimes, Will recognise what words are, will pay heed

To

this his

hoary old adviser's rede,

no other poets wrong henceforth But hold his reputation something worth, For men will quote till Resurrection-morn
to

Do

The
I

A suppliant at the
shall

injured poet's recompense of scorn.

"

Court of God most high throw dust upon my head and cry
:

Lord, cause
light,

Thy

faithful servant's heart to dwell

this miscreant's soul in Hell."

In

and burn

INTRODUCTION
we should mention

45

Before resuming our summary of Nizarni's account that later on the indomitable poet wrote his second great poem, " Yusuf and Zulikha."

This work is still extant in MS., and a printed edition understood to be in preparation. He tells us in his Introduction that he wrote it at the suggestion of a high official of the Dilamids with a view of dediThe poet cating it to the ruling Dilamid prince.
is

seems to have quitted Tabaristan, where a prolonged stay might have been not without risk both to himself

and

further
self

to his friendly entertainer, to the west, where

(if

and

to

have journeyed
the

beyond

reach

of

Mahmud's wrath

Mahmiid

really concerned

him-

about the matter at all) he wrote the above1 mentioned work. Ultimately he returned to his native city of Tiis, and we may conclude this account of the calamity of an author by summarising the rest of what Nizami has to tell us. He no doubt gives us, as he professes to do, the received tradition of the Sultan Mahmiid, induced by the representatime.
tions of his chief minister (Hasan Maimandi ?) ultimately repented of his treatment of the poet. He accordingly gave directions that sixty thousand dinars' worth of indigo should be carried to Firdausi at Tiis This was done and the with a suitable apology. as the caravan that bore but arrived indigo safely, it entered by one the poet's corpse was being gate borne out to burial by another, outside which was a garden belonging to him, and there he was interred, because in the orthodox view of a local preacher he was a heretic, and therefore must not be suffered to He left a daughter lie in the Musulinan Cemetery.

a high-spirited lady who refused to accept the Sultan's gift, and the money was therefore spent in

repairing the hostelry of Chaha, on the road between Marv and Nishapiir. The poet seems to have died
1

NIN,

27.

46
A.D.

INTRODUCTION
1020-1021,
at the age of

about eighty.

Nizami

visited his tomb, A.D.

It

1116-1117.

has not seemed necessary to the present writer

more fully into the interesting subject of the The reader will find ampler details poet's biography. in Professor Noldeke's invaluable " Iranische Nationalto enter

epos," and in Professor Browne's most useful translation of Nizami, both of which works are obtainable in a

convenient form. It is not worth while to reproduce here the accounts of later biographers those mentioned at the beginning of the present chapter and of other writers. Some of their anecdotes will, however, be inserted in appropriate places in the course

of this translation.

word of warning should be

writer

added.

The present

has

confined

himself,

except where otherwise

stated, to

the figures given,

as to the poet's age, &c., in the two texts from which our translation of the Shahnama has been made.
to be generally consistent, but other MSS. other figures, and if their readings are adopted give other conclusions naturally follow.
writer, as far as he is concerned, would terminate the history of the writing and regladly Shahnama at the point where the poet of the ception himself left it in concluding that work at all events
;

They seem

The present

pains has been taken to distinguish Firdausi's own account from that given by others. It only remains to

add that late in life when writing " Yiisuf and Zulikha he affected to condemn his greatest achievement as Old age, disappointment, and a pack of idle tales. other circumstances may well have contributed to warp his judgment, but we cannot doubt that in his heart of hearts he was as conscious of what constituted his best title to fame as when he penned the concluding words of the Shdhnama
:

"

I shall live on, the seed of

words have

Flung

broad-cast,

and henceforth

I shall

not

die.

INTRODUCTION
The Shdhnama
of

47
>/
j
.

one of the great left on epic poems record that it originally consisted of sixty thousand All existing MSS., however, even when couplets. eked out by obvious interpolations, fall short of that Part has therefore been number, by several thousand. At all lost or else the poet spoke in round numbers. events enough remains, and to all appearance pretty much as he wrote it. The authorship, so far as the present writer is aware, has never been disputed. The poem is in rhymed couplets, and its metre the typical heroic metre of the language in which it is written may thus be indicated
Firdausi
is

of tHcT world.

The author has

JL

Such a

line as

The Pharaohs

of Egypt, the Cresars of

Rome,

represents the metre of the original. The poet wrote in almost pure Persian.

The ad-

mixture of Arabic is slight, and in all probability would be slighter if we had the Shahnama precisely Some Arabic the poet was bound as Firdausi left it. to use terms, for instance, in connection with his but copyists, it seems probable, are responreligion

most of the rest. theme is the story of his fatherland and folk, from the Creation to the Muhammadan conquest, His set forth in the form of a metrical chronicle. subject-matter he derived from many sources, mythical, a classification which religious, historical, and popular
sible for

The

poet's

of course involves

many

cross-divisions.
differs

His method, as might be expected,

Homer's.

widely from

The

contrast

is

in fact striking.

Homer

He plunges into effectually hides his own personality. the middle of his subject, and makes the period of
his action as brief as possible.

Selecting one central

48

INTRODUCTION

motive he weaves round it only so much of the subject-matter at his disposal as he can employ with
tolerable consistency. His web is closely woven, and the workmanship so exquisite that comparatively few

indications are left to betray the nature of the material.

raw

Firdausi, on the other hand, takes us into his confidence from the first. In direct violation of the

Horatian
earlier,

precept he begins from Leda's egg and and the period of his action extends over

He uses all the epic material, and on which he can lay hands. bad, indifferent, good,
thousands of years.
is

open-work and its design unsymmetrical. no secret of his method, but tells us what his materials are and how he obtained them. He shows us in fact his loom in action, and calls our

His web

He makes

to the bright, many-coloured threads of and history which are being woven romance, myth,

attention

therein.
It will be readily understood that the method of the Eastern poet leads to inconsistencies and difficulties, chronological and otherwise, for which the reader He will find, for instance, in the should be prepared. of the poem at least, the chief mythical portions

heroes living on through successive ages; described as old and yet fighting with all the vigour of early manhood dropping out of sight and apparently forgotten only to reappear in their pristine vigour later on. The explanation is twofold. In the first
;

place several of the characters of the poem were originally divine or semi-divine beings, and though introduced to us as human have in some cases not

wholly lost their superhuman attributes. And in the second place the popular mythology was not, and was It told legends of the not designed to be, consistent.

same hero, assigning them to different reigns, ages, and localities. A Western poet would have taken

INTRODUCTION

49

them all and forced as much as suited him into the mould of a brief action the Eastern poet takes them at full length, and inserts them where he finds them,
;

wholly regardless of the fact that by so extends life far beyond the span of mortals.

doing he

The poem
are

is

forty-nine,

Of these there divided into reigns. and they with one dynasty, which is

reckoned as a single reign, make up the fifty heads under which the subject-matter of the poem is disposed.

Shahs

The reigns are those of the mythic or historic or kings of Persia, who are divided into four dynasties I. The Pishdadian, of ten Shahs, and lasting
:

2441 years. II. The Kaidnian, of ten Shahs, and lastIII. The Ashkdnian, which is reckoned ing 732 years. as one reign, lasting 200 years. IV. The Sdsdnian, of and 501 The space Shahs, twenty-nine lasting years. of time covered is therefore 3874 years. The poem may also be divided into two periods
This distinction is based not a mythic and a historic. so much on the nature of the subject-matter as on the names of the chief characters. At a certain point in
the

poem

historic.

the names cease to be mythic and become The Mythic Period extends from the be-

ginning of the narrative down to the reigns of the last two Shahs of the Kaidnian dynasty. These and the remainder of the poem form the Historic Period. The Shahs in question are Dard, son of Ddrab, better known as Darius Codomanus, and Sikandar Alexander the
Great.

The chief characters of the poem are I. The The personified powers of good and evil. from of the ancient which became Persians, religion they converted to Muhammadanism, was that known as Fire:

These may be worship, Dualism, or Zoroastrianism. taken to represent roughly three aspects of its growth

and development.

It

was called Fire-worship from

its
;

chief visible object of adoration

a very ancient cult

50

INTRODUCTION

Dualism from its chief tenet the belief that the owed its existing form to the opposing creations and ceaseless conflicts of two supernatural l and beings, a good and an evil, Urmuzd and Ahriman Zoroastrianism from its legendary prophet, who may
universe
;

be taken to typify
all

its priestly

or ceremonial element.

Urmuzd and Ahriman pervade

the whole poem, and

that happens for good or ill is attributed either directly or indirectly to the one or the other. They

assumed to be constantly engaged in strife with each other, and especially on the battlefield of the world, where the struggle is carried on chiefly by means
are

the forces, principalities, and powers which they have called into being, or whose actions they inspire. If the poet had confined himself to the use of the names Urmuzd and Ahriman this antagonism would have been much more marked. He was probably
of
placed, however, in a very difficult position, not only as a Muhammadan himself but also as a poet eager for

recognition at the hands of a fanatically Muhammadan Sultan. The result is a compromise. He seldom uses the word Urmuzd, but in its place such terms

Maker of the world, World-lord, the All-mighty, the righteous Judge or simply God, but hardly ever the Muhammadan Allah. On the other hand he
as

employs the expression Ahriman with great frequency, often substituting for it, however, the word Div, which may be rendered Fiend, and occasionally the name of the Muhammadan evil principle Ibh's. Practically his
conception of the good principle is Muhammadan in all but the name, while his evil principle is no longer
the formidable Zoroastrian Ahriman, but approximates
There is a tendency among modern Zoroastrians and some scholars modify or even deny the dualism, but to do this is to deprive Zoroistrianism of its most characteristic feature, and its best title to be
1

to

considered one of the great religions of the world. 187; HEP, 303-305.

See

DFKHP,

ii.

INTRODUCTION
rather to the

51

Muhamrnadan Ibli's, or to the Devil of This being premised, however, it is proposed to retain the expressions Urmuzd and Ahriman in the Introduction, as being on the whole the most
the Bible.
itself

and convenient, and of course in the poem wherever they occur. II. The Shahs and other kings or heroes. These, so far as they are historical, may be left to speak for themselves, but those that are mythical need a word
suitable

The dualistic conception of the explanation. universe, while it tended to exalt Urmuzd and Ahriman, did so at the expense of the other deities of the ancient
of

nature-worship

who gradually became grouped

in in-

ferior capacities,

according to the popular conceptions

of them, round one or other of the two great principles, the beneficent round Urmuzd and the maleficent

round Ahriman. In the course of time many of them came to be regarded as ancient earthly rulers and heroes, and as such they are represented in the poem, the good for the most part as Iranian and the
evil as those of other races.

All the chief mythical

characters were once themselves gods or demigods, or were credited with such ancestors in tradition.
is, however, infrequent one side we have Urmnzd, who sometimes intervenes by his messenger and agent the angel Suriish, and on the other Ahriman, who acts by means of his instruments the divs, or his adherents We have instances of white the warlocks and witches.

Direct supernatural agency

in the

Shahnama.

On

The fabulous Si'murgh too a bird somewhat resembling the roc of the "Arabian Nights," but endowed with wisdom and articulate speech
magic as well as of black.
Dreams, especially those in plays an important part. which the dead appear, are regarded as veridical, and
the evil eye is much dreaded. Presentiments are held to be authentic, and use is made of amulets, elixirs,

and divining-cups.

The most potent agent throughout

52
is

INTRODUCTION

destiny, which is represented as God's purpose with respect to man as revealed in the heavens by the aspects of the stars and planets. There is no more

impressive picture in the poem than that which the poet gives us of the remorseless process of the sky,

whose revolutions gradually grind down the strongest, and fill the vulgar with amaze at what they term the turns of fortune. To the sage and reader of the stars, however, the future is spread out like a book, and
the astrologer, with his planispheres, astrolabes, calculations of nativities, and predictions generally, plays a
considerable part in the poem. Destiny, as represented to us by the poet, is made up of two distinct elements which he does not attempt to reconcile the

be

Muhammadan and the Zoroastrian. The former may summed up for the reader in two texts from the " I Bible I am the Lord, and there is none else.
:

form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord, that doeth all these "l " and Shall we receive good at the hand of things " 2 God, and shall we not receive evil ?
;

The Zoroastrian conception

Urmuzd and Ahriman

good

is entirely different. are as distinct as light from

darkness, and a hard and fast line

is drawn between whether physical or moral. Light, immortality, health, and all that is good in the worlds of mind and matter proceed from Urmuzd darkness, death, disease, and all that is evil from Ahriman. Urmuzd created man and fashioned the twelve houses of the heavens that they might pour down their

and

evil,

kindly influence upon him

creation of

Ahriman broke

into the

Urmuzd and

created the planets to run

counter to the stars and cross their purposes. Destiny, therefore, from this point of view, being the resultant of two opposing forces, is an extremely logical deduction well borne out
1

by the events
2

of history
Job
ii.

and the

Isaiah xlv.

7.

10.

INTRODUCTION
incidents
of
life

53

to

an Eastern

eye,

rather to what
fate.

we should

call fortune
is

but corresponds than to absolute

that of the poet's

The Zoroastrian

view, which

authorities, predominates over the Muhammadan, which / is that of his The practical result is that in/ religion.

looked upon as the ultimate affairs, and often as acting wantonly and capriciously with the ruthlessness of a celestial Juggernaut. Yet the poet and his characters never
the

poem the sky

is

arbiter of

human

fail

suits

to appeal to destiny proper on occasions when it them so to do, he to justify the ways of God to
to
"
it.

make excuse for evil done or the was so decreed," pleads the evildoer " And so was the penalty," replies the avenger. At other times again the poet seems to hold that all is hopeless confusion, and that we cannot tell head from tail or top from bottom. The leading motive of the Shahnama, so far as it can be said to have one, is Ahriman's envy of man
man, and they
;

doing of

It

the creation of Urmuzd.

evil principle to destroy

The first attempt mankind once for all,

of the
in the

person of their great progenitor, having failed, his next is to seduce them from their allegiance to their Creator,

and in
opposed

this

he

is

largely

successful; race

becomes
are

to race,

the faithful followers of

Urmuzd

persecuted by the perverts of Ahriman, and recurring acts of provocation or revenge form a series of
subsidiary motives which serve to keep alive These are most prominent in ancient feud.
earlier portion of the

the
the

Mythic period, towards the end of new which a motive is introduced by the advent of Zarduhsht or Zoroaster. the great prophet of Urmuzd this outward visible struggle there Side by side with is the inward invisible one going on in the mind of the individual. This is more insisted on in the Historic period where the moral aspects of the struggle are discoursed on at large, and the deadly sins are

54

INTRODUCTION

personified in accordance to Zoroastrian theology as divs or fiends in the service of Ahriman, who strive to

get the mastery over the soul of man. The historical relations of the Iranians with other

Indo-European peoples, with the Semites and with

the Turanians, as sketched briefly in the previous chapter, are indicated in the poem by the mythical legends of

Zahhak and
descendants.
in the

of the three sons of Faridun

and

their

Zahhak represents the idolatrous element

in particular,

poem, and therefore the Semites

contact.

who were the most Iranians came into

idolatrous race with

whom

the

notoriously idolatrous, and so In the days of Muhammad.

The Assyrians were were the Arabs up to

the

poem
or

all

idol-

worshippers, whether of

Semitic

race

not,

are

regarded as descendants of Zahhiik. Salm represents the of Faridun

of

The

eldest son

western division

Turanian, and

the Indo-European race, the second son Tiir the the youngest son traj the Western
Iranian.

Aryan or

The legendary accounts

in the

poem

by between his three sons, of the murder of Iraj by his two elder brothers, and of the great feud which thus
originated, really set forth the historical relations of three of the great races of mankind as seen, from the

of Zahhak's conquest of fran, of his overthrow Faridun, of the partition of the world by the latter

point of view of the descendants of Iraj, through the haze of myth and legend. As to the comparative importance of these relations to the frdnians, native
tradition has

no hesitation in assigning the

;

first

place

to the representatives of Tur, the second to those of Zahhak, and the third to those of Salm and accord-

poem the struggles of the Iranians with the Turanians occupy more space than those with all other races combined. Yet the bitterest feud is with
ingly in the

Zahh&k.

Zahhak

is

In other cases it is a family quarrel, but of another stock a man forbid. However,

INTRODUCTION
all

55

the greatest heroes of the poem spring from unions between members of races thus antagonistic. The

three sons of Faridun marry the daughters of an Arab king, and their supposed descendants are therefore of

from Zahhak upon his and Kai Khusrau both have mother's side. Siyawush Turanian mothers. Asfandiyar and Sikandar have

mixed

race.

Rustain

is

Human

mothers. 1

We

have also

to note

tradition,

Urmuzd

that, according to Iranian did not leave himself altogether

without witness even in the lands and peoples most f In the case of the Arabs we given over to Ahriman. have the dynasty of Al Munzir, which is always represented as being friendly to the Iranians. This dynasty ruled at Hira. In the case of the Hindus we have the dynasty of Kaid, which is always kindly and helpful.

In the case of the Turanians the tendency to

goodwill is very marked in some of the characters. One of Afrasiyab's own brothers becomes an arrant traitor in his zeal for the Iranian interest, and suffers
his justly indignant sovereign. instance, however, is that of the striking and Piran, great Afrasiyab's cousin, counsellor, and good commander-in-chief. Though his loyalty to his own
for
it

at the

hand of

The most

master

is

absolutely stainless and

unimpeached, he

always shows himself most friendly and generous to the Iranians, striving for peace and for a better under-

He lives to see his standing between the two races. honest endeavours foiled and his well-meant counsels turn out ill, but his honesty is so transparent and recognised that even the fierce tyrant whom he serves,
1

History and legend alike throw considerable doubt on the paternity

of Alexander the Great (Sikandar). Iranian patriotism avails itself of this fact to explain that Philip married his daughter to SMb. Ddrdb,

that Ddrdb took a dislike to her

and sent her back to her father, at whose court she gave birth to Alexander, who was brought up as Philip's own son. Iranian amour propre is thus saved, as the great conqueror is made out to be an Iranian himself the eldest born of Shh D.irdb.

56

INTRODUCTION

and who suffers most for having followed his advice, has hardly a word to say against him, and he only gives up the leadership of the host with death. It is a well paid compliment by the poet to the Turkman race. It was
no doubt his own contribution toward a good understanding, and happily he could not foresee the horrors which the eleventh and subsequent centuries held in store for Iran at the hands of the nations of the North. For the preservation of the subject-matter of the Shahnama we are chiefly indebted to two of the classes into which Firdausi tells us ancient franian the priestly class and the agrisociety was divided in other words the Magi and the cultural class Dihkans. The Magi were the priests of the true Medes or Madd, among whom they formed a caste or
tribe.

themselves

Originally fire-priests, as their own name for " 1 " fire-men Athravans, literally shows,

they became closely associated with, even if they did not originate, the Dualism and Zoroastrianism of
later times.

with

all

them
ages
"

Antiquity, which liberally credited them the attributes of ancient priesthood, knew 2 as the Magi the great or mighty, and later

are
"

indebted

to

them

for

the

potent

words
seat

magician." in Atropatene, or in the

magic

and

"

In

their historical

modern form of the word Azarbijan (which has been variously explained to mean the land of the seed, of the descent of, or that guards the fire), and still more in their legendary home in
Karabagh, they dwelt in the neighbourhood of scenes Earthquakes are frequent there, mud-volcanoes, hot springs, and naphtha wells abound. Flames issuing from clefts in the rocks have been ablaze from time immemorial, and in autumn the exhalations from the soil form a phosphorescence that at night wraps whole districts in sheets of harmless flame. Even in parts of the Caspian the vapours bubble up,
of natural marvel.
1

DZA,

i. li,

ist ed.

Skeat,

Etym.

Diet., s.v.

INTRODUCTION

57

be ignited and will go on burning, over several square yards of water till a gust of wind extinguishes The scene from all accounts is at times suffithem. ciently impressive even to the modern eye, and we can easily imagine what fire in its purest form and

may

highest expression

burning century after rationalistic gaze

on

unfed

lambent flames, and apparently self-sustaining must have been to the uncentury
clear, smokeless,

of primitive antiquity. In the of those flames all other fires must have presence

seemed but "broken lights." Elsewhere they were hard to kindle, needed constant care, and were dimmed by smoke and vapours, but here they burned It was no wonder that the as in the Burning Bush. " place came to be looked upon as Holy Ground," and a Cult of that Fire grew up there in the dim and We can well imagine too how famous distant past. the priesthood of such a Cult would become amid such surroundings. The priest of ancient times was
the

man

of letters,

the sage, the leech, the astroof

occult lore and grammarye, and this priesthood dwelt in a region which is not even now robbed of all its ancient glamour by the fact that it is the scene of the greatest petroleum Here Prometheus stole the industry in the world. fire from heaven and paid the penalty in some Caucasian gorge. Along it from north to south lay a great highway of the nations, across it from east to west ran one of the great trade routes, and the riches of India were borne from Kdbul to Balkh, from Balkh down the Oxus to the Caspian,1 and thence through the land of Medea and of the Golden Fleece to the Euxine and the west. It is of course impossible
loger
to

and the

man

affirm
its

that so widespread a cult as Fire-worship

had
1

origin in one particular locality, but

we

shall

The Oxus

in ancient times flowed into the Caspian instead of into

the Aral Sea as at present.

58

INTRODUCTION

be safe in stating that here was a most important centre of it, and in claiming for its priests a pro-

have already portionate status and sanctity. seen that f ran is a land of sharp contrasts of physical good and evil. There the kindly reticences and concealments of nature, the blue haze of distance and the melting of line into line, are absent, there is no
neutral territory, no common meeting-ground all is clear, sharp, well defined and recognisable beyond the
;

We

and at a glance as good or evil. In the regions south of the Caucasus these contrasts are accentuated, and there, it would seem, grew up Dualism suggested and justified by its surroundings.
possibility of mistake

The doctrines of the Magi, which it is beyond our scope to enter into except incidentally and by way of illustration, appear in early times to have been restricted, if not to the Magi themselves, at all events to the Medes whose priests they were. It was not until nearly the end of the sixth century before the Christian era and after the suicide of Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, that the Magi first became supreme in the vast empire which the latter had founded, for now we have evidence that neither he nor his son was the enthusiastic proselytiser of Zoroastrianism, that they were both formerly supposed to be, but at most tolerated it along with the other
faiths of their world-wide empire. After the death of Cambyses, however, the Magi rose to power in the
2

the false Smerdis of person of the Magus Gaumata the Greeks who seized the vacant throne and began, as we learn from the inscriptions of Darius Hystaspis, his slayer and successor, to overthrow the temples of
For an account of the natural phenomena of these regions see KA, and Marvin, " The Region of the Eternal Fire," ch. xi., where many The phenomena are most striking interesting passages are collected. to the north of Karabagh at Baku, the peninsula of Apsheron and the
1
i.

44,

island of Sviatoi (Holy Island) lying off 2 SHC, 497.

it.

INTRODUCTION
1

59

As Darius further the gods in his iconoclast zeal. informs us that he restored these temples, and also at the same time describes himself as a worshipper 2 of Urmuzd, we may assume that it was in the course
reign that Zoroastrianism became the stateHe also appears about religion of the Persian empire. B.C. 505 to have adopted the Zoroastrian calendar in
of his
/

the place of the old Persian one that he had used up till then, and this fact goes to support the assumption

made

The Magophonia or slaughter of the 4 mentioned by Herodotus, which has sometimes Magi been adduced as a proof that they could not have been supreme in Persia so early as the times of Darius
above.
It is Hystaspis, is not really opposed to this view. the was evident that not aimed pretty Magophonia
5

against the Magi in general, but was merely an annual celebration of the overthrow of one particular Magus

the impostor and usurper Gaumata and his personal 6 followers. Whether the Magi, in spite of the high position they had gained, ever succeeded in making their
doctrines popular with the masses of the first Persian One at least of the empire may well be doubted.

successors of Darius

Artaxerxes II. (B.C. 404-361) have relapsed into something very like idolatry/ and with the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great the power of the Magi waned for a time.

seems

to

Rightly or wrongly Zoroastrian tradition couples Alexander with Zahhdk and Afrdsiyab as one of the 8 three arch enemies of the faith. With the intro1

r"

RP,

vii.

89-92.
iii.

Id.

3
5

WPT,

v. xliv.

4
6

Herod,

79.
7

DHA,
Id.
i.

v. 194.

RSM, 636, note. DZA, ii. 53.

This notion seems to have been firmly fixed in the minds of the faithful. We are told that in the year A.D. 1511 Zoroastrians resident in Persia wrote to co-religionists in India a letter in which they stated " that never since the rule of Kaiomars had they suffered more than what they were then undergoing. In sooth, they declared that they were more oppressed than their race had ever been at the hands of the tyrants Zohak, Afrasiab, Tur and Alexander."
xlviii.

DFKHP,

i.

56.

60

INTRODUCTION
of

duction

Greek

ideas,

Greek science and Greek

polytheism, there can be no doubt that the bulk of the population relapsed into idolatry, if indeed it

had ever emerged. During the next five centuries the Magi must have had much ado to keep alive the

The seductions

doctrines, ritual, and sacred traditions of their faith. of Greek civilisation were followed by

the brutalities of Parthian barbarism, and any modification of these was, during the first centuries at all
events of Parthian
culture. as philhellenic
rule, in

the

direction

of

Greek

The Parthian monarchs

on
their coins.
.for

describe themselves

were well equipped

great reputation.

They

The Magi, however, the struggle. They had a held a faith in many respects
that

much
found

in

advance of their times, and one too

in

its justification

the strange natural pheno-

mena and sharp

a time

contrasts

that characterise fran.

They had kept

of physical good and evil alive too, at

when ancient Persian was passing into rapid phonetic decay, the ancient language of their race the Median with its inflections and archaisms, as will appear later on. Lastly, they were a priesthood
practising the peculiar custom of Khvaituk-das, or next of kin marriage, which, though most repugnant
to the sentiments of

mankind

at large,

must

certainly

have tended to preserve their faith from the dangerous external and foreign influences which an indiscrimiThat nate practice of marriage would have entailed.
the Magi practised Khvaitiik-das in the days of the 1 Parthian monarchy we may learn from Catullus.

The

three principal seats of the

1

Magi seem

to

have

been at Shiz, Rai, and Balkh.

Shiz, the Persian Gazn,

Nascatur Magus ex Gelli matrisque nefando conjugio, et discat Persicum haruspicium. Nam Magus ex matre et gnato gignatur oportet, si vera est Persarum impia relligio. Carmen, Ixxxix., ed. C. H. Weise.
ii.

For Khvaitdk-das see WPT,

389.

Cf.

GHP,

i.

89.

INTRODUCTION
is

6r

be looked for at Takht-i-Sulaiman near the It contained the southern frontier of Azarbijan. of which famous fire-temple Azarakhsh, appears to be a contraction of Azar-i -Zarduhsht, or the fire of To Zarduhsht, who is sTipposed to have instituted it.
to this

temple
pre
-

it

was the custom of the Shahs

of Persia

in

times to make pilgrimages 1 afoot. Rai, which was near Tihran, seems to have been the centre of a priestly principality of great
antiquity,

Muhammadan

whose priest - prince was known as the Zarduhsht. It was finally destroyed by the Muham2 madans. Balkh was the scene of Zarduhsht or Zoroaster's most successful missionary effort, which led to the conversion of Shah Gushtasj)._ Here, too, the prophet is said to have beerf slain when the city was taken by the Turanian king Arjasp. Internal evidence seems to show that Firdausi used traditions emanating from each of the above centres in the Shahnama. Of the early literature of the Magi we can only assume that the theogonies or sacred hymns which 3 they chanted in the days of Herodotus were such

we find in their extant scriptures, just as we find the peculiar rites and ceremonies, which he describes 4 as being practised by them, still in operation at a
as

much

later

date.

The

tradition with

regard to the

literature is as follows:

The

original scriptures

were

revealed to Zoroaster by Urrnuzd.

Zoroaster preached them to Shah Gushtasp, whose capital was at Balkh. Gushtasp ordered the original to be deposited in the
treasury of Shapigdn and copies to be made and disseminated, one of which was laid up in the fortress of documents. When " the evil destined villain

Alexander" invaded fran the copy in the fortress of documents was burnt that in the treasury of
;

DZA,

i.

xlix, ist ed.

i.

2
4

Id. xlviii.

Herod,

132.

Id, 140.

62

INTRODUCTION

Shapigan fell into Alexander's hands and was trans1 by his command into Greek. King Valkash ordered a collection to be made of the scriptures, which in his days existed in' Iran in a scattered state owing to the disruption caused by the Macedonian 2 Ardshir, the son of Papak, who overthrew conquest. the Parthians and restored the Iranian monarchy, also
lated

made a collection of the scriptures. He employed for that purpose the high-priest Tausar, who reproduced a similitude of the original as it had existed
the treasury of Shapigan. Shdpur, the son of a of made collection Ardshir, writings of a non-recharacter with medicine, astronomy, dealing ligious and other scientific subjects that had been scattered
in
3

among the Hindus and Riirnans, and ordered them to be incorporated with what had already been brought 4 together, which was done. Shapiir, the son of a for tribunal the determination Hurmuzd, instituted of all points of disputed doctrine. These points were settled by ordeal, and thenceforth the Shah
proclaimed and insisted on uniformity. With regard to this account legend places the birth6 Here on place and home of Zoroaster in iran-vej. the Mountain of the Holy Questions he met Urmuzd face to face, and received from him in a series of diaHere too the prophet logues the tenets of the faith.
6

was

assailed

by the demon Buiti sent by Ahriman, and

Both subsequently tempted by the latter in person. were, however, worsted, and Zoroaster began his missionHis great success seems to have been at ary career. Balkh, one of the chief centres of Aryan civilisation. This we may interpret as meaning that Zoroastrianism
spread from West to East along the line of the great The extant portions of the Zoroastrian trade-route.
1

WPT,

iv.

xxxi.

2 8
7

Id. 413.

3 6

Id. xxxi.

Id. 414.

Id.

DZA,

i.

3, notes.

WPT,

i.

141.

INTRODUCTION
scriptures have

63

many

allusions to

Balkh and Eastern

Iran generally, and in the later part of the Mythic period of the poem the scene is shifted thither.

Alexander the Great the legend is were written 1 on twelve thousand ox-lube's- ni. Persepolis. During the domination of the Parthians fran was broken up into a number of small tributary principalities under native chiefs, some of whom seem to have maintained a Magian priesthood and sacred fires of their
to

With regard

that he burnt

these scriptures, which

own.

It is possible that

it

may have been

the rise of

local Zoroastrian cults with

ritual that led

lord,

King

divergent doctrines and Valkash, in his capacity of over-

a collection of the scriptures with a view to the establishment of a canon and uniformity.
to

make

Valkash himself has been well

Parthian
I.

identified with

the

(A.D. 50-78), king Vologeses 3 brother Tiridates is known to have been a Magus. A letter written by Tausar to explain and justify his

whose

proceedings in regard to the reform of the faith is 4 still in existence. Ardshir, the son of Papak, who was first Shah (A.D. 226240) of fhe him, employed
the

Sdsanian

dynasty

and was himself a Magus. 5

of the
original

The legendary destruction

was of course the excuse
the reign of Shapur
to
I.

scriptures

for

adding to the canon in

(A.D.
II.

their proper place

the translations
(A.D.

240-271) by restoring made under

309-379) about
6

Alexander.
A.D.

With Shapur
the

330
a

canon was
of
fact

traditionally

closed,

but
of

as

matter

there

was
as

some amount

addition

Chosroes I. (A.D. after the disturbance to the faith caused 531-579),

late
is

and revision as

7 by Mazdak. The language of the scriptures

1

commonly but
3

D7
Jd.

'., i.

xliii.
6

Id. xliv.
Id. xlvii.

Id. xxxix.

xli.

Id.

WPT,

iv. xlii.

64

INTRODUCTION

It seems almost certain incorrectly known as Zend. 1 that really it should be known as Median. Zend,
i.e.

Median, as preserved in
as

its scriptures,

and ancient
of

Persian,

preserved

in

the

inscriptions

the

Achaemenids, are two sister-languages collaterally reTated TcPSanscrit. How and when Zend became extinct, whether it still survives in a modified form in some modern dialect such as the Kurd, does not seem to have been yet determined but the existence of the Zandavasta indicates that it remained known to and used by the Magi in its inflectional form long after its sister-language the Persian had lost most of its inflections and had become greatly simplified. Zend as thus be the five cenregarded may being during turies and a half which elapsed between the death of Darius Codomanus and the accession of Ardshir Papakan the sacred language of the Magi one known only to themselves and holding with them very much
;

the same position as Sanscrit did among the Brahmans India. During this period ancient Persian was 2 itself being converted into middle Persian or Pahlavi.
of

should be explained, is the same word as Parthian, and in this connection means not the language spoken by the Parthians themselves, but that
Pahlavi,
it

used under
1

their

rule

by

their Persian

or Iranian

"

La comparison,"

says the late Professor Darmesteter in the work

in

to have expressed his clearest views on the subject, " des textes avesteens avec ce que les anciens nous disent des croyances

which he seems

et des pratiques des Mages prouve que 1'Avesta nous pre"sente la croyance des Mages du temps d'He"rodote, d'Aristote, de Theopompe

unanimes a entendre par Mages les pretres de la Medie. II suit de la, par le temoignage externe des classiques joint au temoignage intrinseque des livres zends et de la tradition native, que 1'Avesta est 1'oeuvre des Mages, que le zend est la langue de la Medie ancienne, et que 1'on aurait le droit de remplacer le nom impropre de langue zende par le terme de langue me'dique."
d'autre part, les anciens sont

DEI,
2

i.

12.*
i.

WPT,

xi. *

The

italics are

Professor Darmesteter's.

INTRODUCTION
1

65

subjects.

To the people

at large in

Sasanian times

the

language in which the inscriptions of Darius Hystaspis and his successors had been written, and that of the Zoroastrian scriptures compiled by It acTausar and others, were alike unintelligible.

cordingly became the custom in making copies to append a Pahlavi version, paraphrase, or comment on the original text. The scriptures themselves were

known

as the Avasta, and all comments thereon, whether in the original language or in Pahlavi, were known as the Zend or Zand. The chief Zand was of course the Pahlavi version of the Avasta, and the two combined became known as the Avasta and Zand, 2 or more commonly as the Zandavasta. Like the Bible it preserved in a literary form all that survived in the traditions of a race, and these were grouped round and told in connection with a line or lines of demigods or heroes, whose names show that they were originally those of the beneficent and maleficent

impersonations of the ancient nature-worship of the Aryan people, before it broke up into its Indian and
Iranian divisions.
in a

somewhat
to
3

altered

The names referred to are common form both to the Zandavasta

Sanscrit

and

the

ancient

hymns
;

of

India

the

Vedas.

We may

regard the traditions of the Zan-\

they were destined, essentially Magian however, to undergo a remarkable development and expansion in other hands. The triumph of Zoroastrianism, the translation of the Zandavasta into Pahlavi, i.e. into the vernacular,
davasta as

and the consequent diffusion of the traditions of the Magi throughout Iran occurred at an epoch when five and a half centuries of alien rule (B.C. 33I-A.D. 226)
WPT, xii. Persians of all times seem always own language as Parsi. DEI, i. 38.
1 i.

to

have known their

2
3

DZA,

i. xxxi, note 2. See for instance DHA,

v.

chapters 5 and

10.

66

INTRODUCTION
obliterated all but the vaguest reminiscences of Persian empire and the house of Achaemenes.

had
the

first

The consequence was that the mythical demigods of the Zandavasta came to be regarded in Sasanian times
as the historic

Shahs of the Iranian

race.

These and

"what was recorded of them in the Zandavasta formed

a convenient epic framework whereon to hang legends
of Assyrian oppression, Arab raids, Turanian invasions, wars with the West, the deeds of national or local heroes, and all the miscellaneous products of popular

and imagination. The development of the of the Zandavasta accordingly went on apace, legends and the chief agents in the process were the Dihkdns. This was the name given to the rural landowners of
tradition
Iran.

of a Dihkan.
tions

Firdausi himself seems to have been the son All the world over the rural populanational tradition.

are the depositories of

notable instance occurred only so long ago as the last century when Dr. Elias Lonnrot, after years of wandering among the remotest districts of Finland, dwelling

with the peasantry and taking down from their lips all that they knew of their popular songs, ultimately succeeded in collecting nearly twenty-three thousand verses which, arranged by him and divided into fifty runes, now form the national Finnish epic known as
the Kalewala.
1

Much

Iran at an earlier date.

the same process went on in Traditions based on the Zanda-

vasta were recited in the halls of the chiefs, at village a custom still obtaining festivals and at street-corners till in time the word Dihkan came to have in Persia

well

recognised

secondary meaning

that of pro-

fessional story-teller, rustic bard, or wandering minstrel. In the course of the Sasanian dynasty these traditions

were collected and put into writing. The result was variously known as the Bastan, Khudai, and Shah Nama, with the respective meanings of History of
1

Ency. Brit.

ix.

219.

INTRODUCTION
the
Past,

67

In the Lords, and of the Kings. to there Khan's Preface referred already Baisinghar is an account of the Bastan-naina which may thus Shah Niishirwan collected the tradibe summarised. the tions and deposited MSS. in his library.
of

Yazdagird, the last of the Sasanians, employed the Dihkan Danishwar to catalogue and supplement these histories and arrange them in chronological order from the reign of Gaiiimart to that of Khusrau Parwiz. At the time of the Muharnmadan conquest of Persia

they were sent to 'Umar, the commander of the faithwho had them translated and only partially In the general division approved of their contents. of the Persian spoil the books fell into the hands of the Abyssinians, who presented them to King Jasha,
ful,

who had them

them.

and in
Lais,

translated and highly commended became well known in his dominions They Hind, whence they were brought by Ya'kiib
to

who commanded
transcribe

Razzak, the Dihkan had told in Pahlavi, and complete the history from the time of Khusrau Parwiz to the end of the reign of Yazdagird. Abu Mansiir instructed an officer of his father's, Su'iid, son of Mansiir Alma'mari, in conjunction with four others Taj, son of

into

Abii Mansiir, son of Abdu'rPersian what Danishwar

Khurasan! of Harat, Yazdandad, son of Shapiir of Sistan, Mahwi, son of Khurshid of Nishapiir, and 1 of Tiis to undertake the Shadan, son of Barzin task. When the house of the Sdmanids came into power they took the greatest interest in the work thus translated, and entrusted it to the poet Dakiki to put into verse. When he had written one or two thousand couplets he was murdered by his slave, and thus the matter remained till the days of Mahmiid,

who encouraged
1

Firdausi to complete the work.

of Nfirin

C has Sulaiman son

a mistake or misprint.

Cf.

NT, xxv.

68

INTRODUCTION

As Baisinghar Khan's preface dates from the first quarter of the fifteenth century, and contains much that is obviously romantic, it is needful to receive the
above account with
all

caution.

Even when we have

rejected the story of King Jasha and the Abyssinians we are still confronted by a chronological impossibility.

in

A.D.

Ya'kiib, the son of Lais the coppersmith, died Abu Mansiir, who had the work of 878.

the Dihkan Danishwar translated, was a brother of Muhammad, son of Abdu'r-Razzak, and this Muhammad was prince of Tiis in the middle of the tenth 1 in the days when Firdausi was growing century, Ya'kiib and Abu Mansiir were therefore not up.
Ya'kiib had worked in his father's contemporaries. a as youth, he then became a robber-chief, shop

fought his way to what was practically of Iran. As a native of Sistan, the race whose warlike proclivities were symbolised in the legendary exploits and character of the national hero of Iran, Rustam, or as the founder
finally

and

the lordship home of a

new dynasty, for political reasons he may have taken an interest in the old traditions but he could not have commissioned Abii Mansiir to do the work for him, and it will be safer to dismiss the notion that he interested himself in the compilation of the
of a
;

as highly problematical. On the in Khan's the statement other hand, Baisinghar preface that Abii Mansiir did have a Shahnama compiled

Dihkan Danishwar

is

confirmed by the learned Abii Raihan

Albiriini (A.D.

Muhammad
"

bin

Chronology 2 of Ancient Nations." Again we may be somewhat sceptical as to whether a Dihkan named Danishwar ever existed, but we may concede that the ancient traditions were collected and edited by some learned (danishwar) Dihkdn and indeed by many such.
1

'Ahmad

9731048)

in his

NT,
2

xxiv.
119.

Eng. trans, by Dr. E. Sachau,

INTRODUCTION
The names
Mansiir are
in all
likely to

69

five men employed by Abu and the men themselves were probability Magi, for none but they would be

of

the

all

Persian,

know Pahlavi
Shadan son

in the tenth century.

One

of

the

five,

of Barzin, is

mentioned by Fir-

dausi as his authority for the story of the introduction into Persia of Bidpai's Fables in the reign of Nushir-

wan.
the

Dakfki, the poet who was first entrusted with task of versifying the Shahnama, was a fireworshipper, as four lines of his bear witness
:

" Of all of this world's good and ill Four things Dakiki chooseth still
Girl's

ruby

lips,

The blood-red wine,

Firdausi
tells

the sound of lyre, the Faith of Fire."

10, that when on murder he determined to carry on the work himself he had great difficulty in obtaining the needful materials for the purpose, and was for a while nonHis statement seems to plussed by want of them. require some explanation, for, in addition to the con-

us in his Prelude,

Dakiki's

siderable Pahlavi literature then extant, the collections made by learned Dihkans had been translated into

Arabic, and were obtainable in numerous histories in that language. Albiriini tells us that the poet Abii'Ali Muhammad bin 'Ahmad Albalkhi in his Shahnama
refers to the authors of five

his

authorities.

If,

such separate histories as however, we accept Noldeke's

to

view that Firdausi, in spite of his apparent assertions the contrary, knew no Pahlavi, was as good as ignorant of Arabic, and used only authorities written 3 in the Persian of his own day, we can understand his He could make no difficulty about his materials. progress till he had obtained a copy of Abu Mansiir's Shahnama, perhaps the identical copy used by Dakiki. The poet in fact seems to speak of his Pahlavi
1

C, 1746.

Eng. trans.,

p. 108.

NT,

xxiii.

70

INTRODUCTION
we might speak
of the

authorities as

Hebrew

Scriptures,

meaning the Old Testament, though we may know them only in the English version. His chief authority
was doubtless the Shahnama of AbuMansur, which as seen had been translated into modern Persian from Pahlavi originals. He also used, as it directly would seem, translations into modern Persian of Arabic histories themselves translated from Pahlavi Certain passages in the Shahnama, where originals.

we have

Iblis is substituted for

evil principle,

such Arabic versions have alike disappeared, and the Shahnama of Firdausi, which alone survives of all the many Shahnamas that once existed, has now become the
principal storehouse of Iranian legend, and the leading The Sbahnama of Firdausi authority on the subject.

Ahriman as the name of the be attributed with confidence to may l authorities. Pahlavi and secondary originals

then

is

the proof

a true epic, not a great poet s invention, and is to be found in the nature of his subject-

matter and in his own words. He expressly disclaims all originality, telling us that the tale had all been told before, and that all the fruit that had fallen in the garden of knowledge had been already garnered. His
share was to

mould

into song the epos of his native

land, scorning no tale, however lowly, and putting the 2 best and purest interpretation on all that he found.

With a few exceptions which will come up for notice in due course. The Zandavasta as we possess it is a Bible in ruins. Of the twentyone Nasks or Books of which it is said to have consisted only two are extant in their entirety, and these two are precisely those which the Magi would know best the law of ceremonial observances, and the hymns and litanies most frequently used in public worship. In addition we have fragments of most of the others, and certain summaries, paraphrases, and comments on them in Pahlavi which enable us to
1

form a fair notion of the general contents of the Zandavasta as a " whole. Thus the Dinkard or " Acts of the Faith contains a summary " of nineteen of the twenty-one Nasks, while the Bundahish or Original " Creation preserves for us the account of the creation as it was told " Creatures in the lost Dstmddd Nask or produced."

INTRODUCTION

71

The cosmogony of the poem assumes the earth to be flat and to be supported on the horns of a bull which stood on the back of a fish which swam in the 1 The earth was environed by the gigantic great ocean. 2 Alburz Mountains which reached to heaven. The range was pierced by 1 80 apertures in the East, and 1 80 in the West. Through these the sun made its daily entrance and exit, travelling round the outside 3 during the night from the West back to the East. The apertures were intended to account for the changes of place in the rising and the setting of the sun The earth was divided into throughout the year. Seven Climes, the central being fran, which was surrounded by the other six and was as large as all
It was divided from them the rest put together. by vast mountain ranges.* The Central Clime was also surrounded by the Eastern equivalent of the Homeric Oceanus or Ocean-stream, for the Indus, Oxus, Aras, Euxine, Bosphorus, Sea of Marmora, Dardanelles, Nile, and Indian Ocean were regarded as a chain of rivers, lakes, gulfs, and seas all in
5 This confusion, especiconnection with each other. ally as regards the Oxus and the Aras, frequently

seems
native

to

of Eastern Iran,

have misled the poet himself. He was a and naturally supposed that

the river so constantly referred to in the poem as the boundary between fran and Tiiran was the Oxus.

He shaped matters accordingly, but it can hardly be doubted that the river of his authorities was the 6 Aras. The substitution of Aras for Oxus throws a flood of light upon the wars, campaigns, and political
relations recorded in the

the

first

Shahnama, especially during and longest portion of the Mythic Period.

2,

" Arabian 1 Nights," i. 19, note Cf. Lane, Quatrains de Kheyam," 168, and note. "
2
5

and Nicholas, " Le

4

WPT, WPT,

i. i.

35.
77,

Id. 22.

Id. 80.

32-33

and

notes.

DZA,

i.

WPT,

i.

72

INTRODUCTION
The

position of the Medes on the Aras explains incursions into Azarbijan of the Assyrians in early, and of the Arabs in later, times came to be

how the

embodied in the
wars
with
the

story,

how we come

to

have the

Turanians brought so prominently before us, why the arch-enemy Afrasiyab is recorded to have been taken prisoner in lake Urumiah, and why the writer of the Armenian history who passes

under the name of Moses of Chorene couples the two great enemies of the Medes hi his account of Persian " fable Quid autem tibi sunt voluptati viles ac vanae " de Byraspe Astyage fabulae ? Byrasp or Biwarasp is the Pahlavi term for Zahhak. Astyages was the Turanian of Ekbatana and sometime overgreat king lord of Cyrus. The vast spaces and regions of the Oxus have always been a difficulty to the student of the Shahnama, but substitute the comparatively narrow area between the Caspian and the Euxine and much
:

is

explained. Thus far Firdausi follows the old Iranian cosmogony. In the case of the heavens he rejects it ; and its four

heavens of the Stars, of the Moon, of the Sun, and of the Endless Lights, become nine in the poem those of the seven planets, of the angels, and of the throne of God. These heavens were supposed to be crystalline spheres with independent motions and fitting one The seven planets inside another like Chinese boxes. are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and
Saturn.

Firdausi took his imagery chiefly from the ancient cosmogony, or from the natural features of his native
land.

the Fish, or
stretch

Shah's dominion extends from the all the Seven Climes obey him.

Moon

to

Armies

The

warriors'

from mountain to mountain, or from sea to sea. heads touch the Sun or Saturn. The
1

DZA,

Mosis Chorenensis, ed. Whiston, 77. i. Introd. 1.

INTRODUCTION

73

warriors themselves are, or are like, mountains, lions, elephants, leopards, and crocodiles, they level the hills

with their battle-cries, and pierce with their spears Their palaces and castles bar the the hearts of flints. eagle's flight, rise above the clouds or hold converse with the stars. Troops throng like locusts and ants, and even gnats can find no room to pass them. In battle the field or even the whole world is a sea or stream of gore. A tiger bestrides an elephant and brandishes a crocodile, which being interpreted means that a cavalier waves his sword. Swords too are, or are like, diamonds while spears turn the earth to a reed-bed. One horse is so keen of sight that it can see an ant's foot on black cloth at night two leagues away.
;

Kapid motion
Azargashasp,

is

compared
is

to

fire

or

to

its

spirit

equivalent for the lightning, to wind, smoke, or dust, the last being the commonest figure in the poem. The reader, like the
often
poet, will find
it ubiquitous, and will not fail to notice in the accounts of marches, battlefields, and single combats, &c., that the sky, sun, moon, &c., are said to grow like

who

an

indigo or ebony, or to

become

veiled or to turn dark

at noonday, &c. The allusion is to the dust. To say that the air darkened is often merely another way of

saying that the dust rose and both, and kindred expressions, are in constant use to indicate that hosts
;

or individuals

have set forth on some expedition, are approaching or engaging in battle, &c. Opposed to the dust the enemy, is water the friend. " Where
land and water are

my

treasure

is,"

says one of the

poem, and the poet compares the joy of having one's work approved by the wise to that of

Shahs

in the

Conseseeing plenty of water in one's own canal. it is not the blue but the cloudy quently sky that and with its the Persian clouds eye, delights spring,

and

thunder- showers, flowers,

"

favourite season.

The hand

and verdure, is the of Mahrmid," says the

74
"

INTRODUCTION

is

is like a cloud in spring." Perpetual spring the Persian's notion of a perfect climate. A king adorns his rose-garden like spring, i.e. he summons

poet,

all his great men about him and holds a court. The Persian year began with the spring, and the

beginning of the New Year was a season of rejoicing. The cheek in joy or health is like the rose, tulip, pomegranate, or Judas-tree blossoms, in fear or passion like those of jasmine or fenugreek, or as colourless
as

sandarach, the transparent

of

gum

of

the

Callitris

In passion, which pounce is made. too, or fear, the body shakes like a willow-tree, the heart and liver become full of blood, the veins throb and the blood itself boils. The narcissus bedews the
Quadrivalvis,

Stature is like the cypress, weeps. also the tree of the burial-ground, the tree of posthumous fame, or like the teak. In old age
rose

when beauty
is

which
the

A youth of straight-stemmed cypress stoops. is a first To its fruits. promise sapling bearing take any important step is to plant a tree it may be of revenge or of some prudent act of policy, and the fruit of the tree will according to circumThe stances turn out to be either gems or colocynth. is fond of nature on its transient life, poet moralising and vicissitudes. His favourite figure for the former is the wayside caravanserai or inn where as pilgrims or travellers we sojourn for a brief space, and then departing yield our room to others for the latter he the appeals to the configuration of his native land apparently endless alternation of ascent and descent with which all who have sojourned in those parts are
;

well acquainted or by a bolder flight describes how a man is raised to Saturn or the Pleiades only to be

flung into the ditch or to the Fish one referred to above.

straint of

the mythological

Like other poets Firdausi suffered from the con" " rhyme. When for instance we find Balkh

INTRODUCTION
at the
"

75

end of one hemistich of a couplet, talkh" is certain to be at the end of the other, and as pretty " " means " bitter" the sense of such passages is talkh
Similarly the changes are rung with " on words " nil (indigo or the Nile), the great frequency "mil" (a mile), and "pil" (an elephant) as verseThe first of these three words is one of the endings.
translator's
"

apt to be strained.

thorns in the

flesh,"

the poet using

it

it

in

so

many

different connections that

is

impossible to

tind a formula of explanation that will cover them all. Relief from an English point of view is sometimes ob-

tained by substituting, with Mohl, " blue sea for " River Nile," but the best antidote, as Firdausi would say, for

"

the bane of the word

is

Butler's couplet

"For rhyme the rudder is of verses, With which, like ships, they steer their
"

courses."

In other words, the poet uses " nil for the sound more often than for the sense, and translator and reader alike must take the consequence but they are at all events exonerated from seeking in such passages for some recondite meaning which Firdausi himself never intended to convey.
;

CHAPTER

III

TEXT AND TRANSLATION

UP

existed

to the beginning of last century the Shahnama in MS. only. Since then five more or less
:

complete editions have appeared in print In 1808 Dr Lumsden undertook to i. an edition of the poem, one volume of published at Calcutta in 1 8 1 1 but the went no further. This edition will be
,

superintend

which was
publication referred to

as L.
ii.

In

1829

Turner

Macan,

who

must

always

hold the place of honour among the editors of the poem, after devoted labour in collation of MSS.,
published at Calcutta in four volumes the first and only complete edition, the earlier portion of the text being based on that of L. This edition will be referred
to as C.

In 1838 Jules Mohl published the first volume sumptuous edition at the expense of the Six volumes have appeared French government. but the work was never finished owing to the death of the editor. This edition is based on an independent
iii.

of his most

collation of MSS.,

and includes a French prose

1

transla-

tion as well as the Persian text.

This edition will be

referred to as P.
iv.

volume

In 1850 a complete lithographed edition in one folio, edited by Muhammad Mahdi, a native of

1 It should be added that the French translation has been completed by M. Bar bier de Meynard from the text of C, and the whole translation has been published separately by the late Madame Mohl.

76

INTRODUCTION

77

The text is a reIspahan, was published at Tihrdn. * print of that of C, with occasional variations, some of which are of value. This edition will be referred to
as T.

A. Vullers published the first volume and two other volumes have since The publication of the third volume appeared. was interrupted by the lamented death of the editor, but has since been completed from the materials Even thus the left by him by Samuel Lindauer.
v.

In

877

J.

of

his

edition,

edition contains only about the first half of the entire This edition is based on the collation of the poem.
texts of

and

T,

C and P, with occasional readings from L and other sources. This edition will be referred

to as V.

The only complete European translations of the Shahnama hitherto published are the French one above mentioned and an Italian one in verse by
Translations and summaries of portions have appeared in English and German. poem The indulgence both of the Persian scholar and of the English reader is asked on behalf of this the first English translation of the poem as a whole in view of the magnitude and difficulty of the undertaking. Our prime object has been to produce a clear and with this end in view we intelligible rendering, and have found it needful to dispense with certain redundances in the original. All these probably may be grouped under the following heads variant, corrupt, and spurious passages; repetitions, tautologies, and and idiomatic and grammatical construcplatitudes Those who are actions that proved intractable. will with the original readily understand quainted what these omissions amount to those unacquainted

Signer Pizzi.

of the

with it may easily find out by comparing our version Both will, we think, admit with that of M. Mohl. that we have left the fable absolutely intact, that

78

INTRODUCTION
cutting to

we have scrupulously avoided

and have done nothing
this
to

forfeit

the quick our claim to call

of

the

first

complete

English

translation

the

Shahnama. Our version is metrical, partly rhymed and partly unrhymed. The rhymed portion consists of preludes, apologues, sayings of wise men, songs, terminal couplets, passages in which the poet speaks in his own person, and some others that seemed to lend themThese form a very small selves to such treatment. part of the whole, and are generally line for line with
the original, though couplets or hemistichs may be sometimes inverted for convenience in rendering. We have changed the metre occasionally partly for the
passages,

sake of variety, partly to suit the character of different and partly for our own refreshment and

The reader should, however, clearly amusement. understand that a change of metres implies no corresponding change in the original, of which the metre
is

the same throughout.

The unrhymed

portion,

which forms the bulk of

the translation, and does not aspire to the dignity of being called blank verse, is more condensed than the

rhymed, though the proportion of English to Persian sometimes a whole couplet in is constantly varying the original is best expressed by a single line in the translation; sometimes a line and a half, two lines or more in the translation go to the couplet in the
;

original.

The average may be roughly

lines to

stated as three

two Persian couplets. The result of English these various economies is that our translation is some twenty-five per cent, shorter than otherwise it would have been. We have followed the text of V as far as it goes, silently incorporating with it all the changes and
additions

made by the

editor himself in

his notes
first

and

in his

Apparatus Criticus at the

end of his

INTRODUCTION

79

volume, subject of course to the heads of omissions stated above and to the occasional adoption of readings from other texts. variably noted.

These,
failed

we
us

hope,
Ave
fell

we have

in-

When

the text of

back upon

reserve any remarks that we may find it necessary to make till the volume of our translation is reached in which the change of text
occurs.

that of C, as to which

we

The
1.

attention of the reader

:

is

called to the follow-

ing points
It

is

hoped that the Introduction may prove

sufficient for those

who wish

to read the

Shahnama

in its English dress but have no previous acquaintance with the subject. They will find notes prefixed to

the principal divisions of the poem, but it has been thought desirable to avoid footnotes, as far as possible,
to the translation itself.
2. The passages that need the most constant elucidation are those of a descriptive, figurative, or meta-

An attempt has been made to phorical character. the explain principal of these once for all in the
Such passages often might have previous chapter. been made self-explanatory by a sufficient sacrifice of It has seemed to us, the imagery of the original. better that the Shah dropped the ball to however, say 1 into the cup or bestowed the kettledrums upon some one, than that the Shdh gave the signal for the host to move or appointed some one commander-inchief.
3.

The structure

of the

Persian language

is

very

loose grammatically. One form, for instance, stands for he, she, and it. For the sake of clearness we have often substituted the noun for the pronoun. Of
1 The cup was attached to the side of the elephant on which the Shdh or commander-in-chief rode. Both cup and ball were made of what we should call bell-metal.

8o

INTRODUCTION
amount
of interpreta-

course this involves a certain

tion, and differences of opinion in some cases legitimately may exist as to who or what the person or

may be. On the other hand, we noun where in English we should use a pronoun, and we have constantly made the substituthing referred to
often find a
tion

in

passages

where no doubt can

arise

in the

reader's mind.

poem

is

Again the couplet-form in which the written has a tendency to break it up into

a succession of short sentences, and this, added to the above-mentioned use of the noun where we should
naturally use the pronoun and to the paucity of connecting particles, frequently makes the transition from

sentence to sentence somewhat abrupt and the line of thought difficult to follow. Often we have carried

on sentences by the addition of connecting particles which are not in the original. 4. We desire to make some explanations with regard to certain important words in the original. Bdj and Zamzam. By these terms is known a certain practice of Zoroastrians which may be paraphrased in English as taking prayer inwardly." Before eating, washing, &c., it is customary to mutter the beginning of some sacred formula, to carry through the operation in complete silence, and then to utter 1 the rest of the formula aloud. We have employed " " such expressions as muttering "or " muttered prayer It is sometimes used as to describe the practice. a pretext for obtaining a few moments' private conversation.
"

now

This was formerly a bundle Barsam. of metal wires varying in number circumstances, held in the hand during ance of certain religious rites of the

of twigs, but according to

the performZoroastrians.
2

The
1

7.

practice is clearly referred to in Ezekiel viii. 16, " " translate Barsam by " the sacred twigs."

We
1

WPT,

ii.

134.

HEP,

397, &c.

INTRODUCTION
Dakhma.
sense

81
its

Firdausi does not use this word in

that in which
it is
still

used by the proper Parsis at the present day but in that of mausoleum, 1 charnel, or charnel-house, and we have so translated it. Dihk&n. The general sense of this word is that of countryman as distinguished from townsman. Owing,
however, to the fact that the rural class in fran as elsewhere were the chief repositories of the traditions

and

folklore of their native land,

which were handed

down

at local gatherings by those orally best qualified for the task, the word came to have the secondary meaning of bard or minstrel, and we have

and recited

rendered it according to its first or secondary meaning as the sense of the passage required. Dindr and Diram. Of these the dinar was a gold and the diram a silver coin. The Attic drachma was made the basis of his monetary system by Alexander the Great, and Persia possessed no native gold coinage
till more than five centuries later. It then obtained one by accident. By the terms of peace between Ardawan (Artabanus), the last Parthian monarch, and the Emperor Macrinus, after the great battle of Nisibis hi A.D. 217, the latter agreed to pay to the former an indemnity of more than a million and a half of our money. The sum seems to have been chiefly in aurei. Consequently when Ardshir Papakan paid became the first Shah of the new native (Artaxerxes) Persian (Sasanian) dynasty in A.D. 226 he found the country flooded with two distinct coinages with no recognised relation between them except the rough and ready one of commerce. He seems to have left matters to settle themselves, and in his own coinage followed the type of the aureus for his gold

coins

and that of the drachma

for his silver.

The

1 A full account of the Dakhma in the proper sense of the word will be found in DFKHP, i. 192-213. 2

RSM,

69.

82

INTRODUCTION
"dindrs
in the

and dirams" is one frequently poem, and as it is rather an inconvenient one metrically we have substituted the " " older form drachm for " diram." We retain this word as in the original. Div.
expression

met with

When spelt with a capital it is to be regarded as equivalent to Ahriman or Iblis, except in the collocations "Black Div" and "White Div." When spelt with a small letter it may mean either a demon or a
some savage or outlandish tribe. 1 " Farr. The " farr was regarded as the special divine endowment of the Iranian race the favoured of of Urmuzd and as an people envy or ambiobject

member

of

tion to the neighbouring peoples. It was regarded in the Zandavasta as something material, that could be

sought, seized, and carried off, and even in the Shahnama we find a few occasions when it assumes a visible

form.
the'

Each of the three primitive castes into which Iranians were divided had its own special tl farr,"
all

while the Shah united

three in his
"

own
"

the

possession of the his title to the throne.

threefold

farr

person, and constituted

There

present volume where after two sons are both passed over in the succession as not

an instance in the the death of a Shah his

is

" Firdausi, it should be being possessed of the farr." noted, gives himself great latitude in the use of this and many other expressions, but wherever the word appears to be used in its correct sense we render it " " " by Grace or Glory."

The farsang is a measure of length, and Farsang. we have always translated it as " league," although it
about three-quarters of a mile longer than our English league. The word properly means a robe bestowed Khil'at. a ruler from his own wardrobe on some one as a by
is

sign of special
1

favour.

As

it

was accompanied
"
foreign devils."

bj

Cf. the

Chinese expression

INTRODUCTION
other gifts
it

83

came

to

mean

gifts

generally

when

bestowed by the ruler on a subject. We usually trans" late the word as robe of honour." Maiddn. This word properly means a level piece of ground attached to palaces or cities and used for
purposes of exercise or pastime.

Hence

it

comes

to

mean any
two
ride

level stretch of country, the space between hostile hosts on which opposing champions would

out and contend, a battlefield, park, &c. We have adopted various translations of the word to express
these various meanings.
Miibid.

The word properly means a

is

chief priest of
"

the Magi, but

and

is

often merely equivalent to sage," sometimes used of priests of other religious

denominations.
translate
it

When

used in

its

by "archmage" or archimage," when used generally by " priest." The expression " miibid-i
miibi-dan,"
i.e.

"

proper sense

we

chief of the miibids,

first

we always

trans-

late

high priest." Pahlavi and Pahlavdn. The 1 has been already explained. " phrases as olden tongue," &c.

by

"

of these two words

We

render

it

by such
applied

The second

is

by Firdausi
subject.

to all his chief Iranian characters other

for

than the Shahs,

The
of

chief Pahlavdn

the Pahlavan was essentially a was the protagonist or

for

champion

the race

the time being but

not

necessarily commander-in- chief. kept in reserve as a last resort

The office going very badly. heroic family of Garshasp, and Rustam, with

Sometimes he was when matters were was hereditary in the

whom

its

mythic glory becomes extinct, was its chief exponent. We translate by " paladin." Pari. It is hard to realise that this word, which in Arab lips would become " Fari," is not connected with " fairy," but it appears that for the etymology of the " Fata." In meaning, latter we must go to the Latin
1

p.

64

84

INTRODUCTION
"
"

however, our

and " fay are the nearest English equivalents, and we have so rendered the word. We translate this word by " camp enSardparda. closure." The saraparda was a screen of canvas or other material encircling an encampment.
fairy
5. Some of known in the

"

the chief characters in the

several
titles.

poem

are

Zal, original by father of Rustam, is also called Zal-i-Zar, Dastan-iZand, Dastan-i-Sam, or simply Dastan Rustam him;

the

self is frequently referred to as

Elephant-bodied, the Matchless, To follow the other instances of duplicate names. in this would involve the English respect original
reader in hopeless confusion, and
in such cases selected one

the son of Zdl, the &c., and there are

we have

therefore

name

for a character

and

kept to it, or if we employ a duplicate we only do it in such a context that no doubt is possible as to the
identity of the person referred to. Again, the poet uses the word

Shah

in a very wide

connection, but we employ it only when one of the fortynine rulers of Iran or the Sultan Mahmiid is referred

Where the word is applied to others than the above we translate it by king or monarch, &c. We have carried out the same principle in other cases where it seemed to us that obscurity might arise. The above are merely given as instances.
to.

6.

With regard

to the spelling of proper

names we

have followed the original with a few exceptions. We have kept Caesar instead of Kaisar, Riiman instead of Riimi, Indian instead of Hindi, and there may be a 1 few more instances. For Khakan we invariably substitute the shorter " form Khan, as the expression " the Khdkdn of Chin
is
1

inconvenient metrically.
In the transliteration of proper names the best rule seems to be

For the to retain the thoroughly familiar in their familiar forms. " Kaisar said," or, more English reader "Caesar said" is better than " Qaisar said." correctly,

INTRODUCTION
In the Persian the
instance
is

85

letter

in the

word Kabul

for

name

a different letter from that beginning the of the hero Karan, which in accord to present
Similarly the z in the

usage should be spelt Qaran.

word Zabul is a different letter from that in Azargashasp, but we thought that on the whole it was better not to

make such
7.

distinctions.

In cases in which it seemed to us that ambiguity might arise we have spelt words used metaphorically with a capital letter. 8. Those who desire to compare our translation with the original will find on the pages of the former
references to the corresponding pages of the latter. For instance, V. 233 against a line indicates the beginning of that page in Vullers' edition of the
text.

pronunciation will be found immediately preceding the translation in each volume. i o. The headings of the reigns, parts, and sections
9.

note

on

are reprinted at the end of the Table of Contents.

.

volume

to serve as a

1 1 A list of some previous translations, the old Persian calendar, some genealogical tables, and a note on abbreviations are appended. 1

2.

Finally

we have

to

ask

judge, and in strength of

initial

all

probability condemn,

its first

few pages.

our readers not to this work on the The Prelude and the

to make anything not wholly our own fault. The poet himself, as readers of the original will bear witness, labours heavily, embarrassed perhaps " The poem," by the character of his subject-matter. " not obtain real life till Professor does Noldeke, says " the reign of Jamshid. In spite of the heroic tale of

of

in

reigns a translation.

are

most

difficult
is

This

Kawa
Iraj,

and much

the smith, and the pathetic misadventure of else that is both curious and interest*

NIN/37.

86
ing,

INTRODUCTION
we should be
find

inclined to put
still.

the "real life" later

will

At

all

the beginning of events the reader

in interest reign by and reign poet poein appear at their best in the charming tale which fills for us the reign of

the

poem growing

till

Minuchihr.

PREVIOUS TRANSLATORS OF THE

SHiHNAMA
FRENCH.

MOHL, already

referred

to, p. 76.

ITALIAN.
II Libro dei Eei. Vols. i.-viii. Pizzi, Firdusi. Torino, 18861888. [This is a complete metrical translation with an elaborate

Introduction.]

GERMAN.
GORRES, Das Heldenbuch von Iran aus den Schah Nameh des Berlin, 1820. [The translation extends from the beginning of the history to the death of Rustani. It has a long and strange Introduction and a quaint map of the scene of the Shahnama.j SCHACK, Heldensagen von Firdausi. Berlin, 1865. [The translation extends from Faridun to the death of Rustam.]
Firdusi.

RUCKERT,
1895.

Firdosi's Konigsbuch.

Sage i.-xxvi.

Berlin, 1890-

[This extends as far as

Rustam and Suhrab.]

ENGLISH.
JONES, Commentarii poeseos Asiaticae.

London, 1774.

[In this

work some passages from the Shahnama are translated for the first time into an European language.] CHAMPION, The Poems of Ferdosi. Calcutta, 1785. [The translation extends

from the beginning of the history to the birth of

Rustam.]

ATKINSON, Soordb. Calcutta, 1814. TheShdh Nameh translated and abridged in prose and verse. London, 1832. [This work gives
a

summary

spersed,

up WESTON, Episodes of the Schah-nameh of Ferdosee. ROBERTSON, Roostum Zeboolah and Sohrab. 1829.
87

of the history, with short passages of translation interto the death of Sikandar (Alexander the Great).]
1815.

THE CALENDAR
THE old Persian year was solar and began at the vernal equinox. It consisted of 365 days divided into 12 months of 30 days each, the five extra days being added after the completion of the twelfth month
to
fill up the time till the sun should re-enter Aries, and spring and the new year begin on the 2 1 st of March. Each day of the month had its special genius presiding over it, after whom it was named, thus:

Day

i.

2. 3.

Urmuzd. Bah man.

Ardibihisht.
Sharivar.

Day

6.

17.
1

Mihr. Surush.

8.

Rashn.
Farvardin.

4.
5.

19.

6.
7.
,

8.

Sapandarmad. Khurdad. Murdad. Dai pa Adar.

Adar.

20. Bahrain. 21.

Ram.
Dai pa Din.
Ard. Ashtad.

22. Bad.
23.

9.

24. Din.
25. 26. 27. 28.
29.

10. ii. 12.

13-

Aban. Khurshid. Mah.

Tir.

Asman.
Zamiyad. Mahraspand.
Anairdn.

14. 15.

Gush.

Dai pa Mihr.

30.

their

Of these names

to the

thirty genii twelve were chosen months as well, thus:

to

give

[Farvardin

PRING
-|

Ardibihisht

[Khurdad
[Tir
.

SUMMER

INTRODUCTION
AUTUMN
(Mihr
.

89
17 to October 16.
,

September
October 17
...
:
. .
.

-JAban

[Adar
[Din

November 16 December r 6
January 1 5 February 14
,

November 15. December 15.

January 14. February 13.

WINTER

3ahman

....
. .

(Sapandarmad

March

15.

Thus the day Sapandarmad of the month Khurdad would be equivalent to May 24th, and the day Khurdad of the month Sapandarmad to February ipth. Time was reckoned by days and nights, not by nights and days as among the Jews and Muhammadans. The twenty-four hours of the day and night were
divided into eight watches of three hours each.

INTRODUCTION

GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE PISHDiDIANS

(ACCOKDING TO THE SHAHNAMA.)

G AIU MART

(i).

Siyamak.

HtJSHANQ

(2).

TAHMURAS

(3).

Mardas.

JAMSHID

(4).

Several generations.

Shahrinaz=ZAHHAK (5)=Arnawaz.

Abtin=Faranak.

1 generation.

3 generations.

Barmaiun. Kataiun. Shahrinaz^FARfDUN (6)=Arnawaz.

\/
?

Pashang.

Kakwi. Mihr4b=Sindukht.

Salm.

Tfir.

fraj.

Rudaba=Zal.

Daughter

Son.

Pashang = A daughter.

R us tarn.

Karkwi.

MINUCHIHR

(7).

NAUDAR

(8).

Tua.

Gustahain.

Tahmasp.

ZAV

(9)-

GARSHASP

(10)

INTRODUCTION

GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE PISHDADIANS.

(ACCORDING TO THE BUNDAHISH.)
Gaiumart.

Mashya.

Siyamak.
I

Fravak.

HtisHANG
I

(i).

Taz.

Yanghad.
I

Virafshang.

Vivanghau.

Zain gav.

J AMSHID

(3).

Spitfir.

Narsih.

TAHMURAS

(2).

Mardas.

11 generations.

ZAHHAK

(4).

Barmaiun.

Kataiun.

FARID^N

(5).

Iraj.

Tur.

Salm.

Yanfdar.

Anastokh.

Guzhak

d.

Duraushasp.

10 generations.

MIN6CHIHR
I

(6).

Turak.

NAUDAR

(7).

Zadshain.

Agaimashvak.

Athrat.

ZAV

(8).

(TABSHASP

(9).

THE KINGS AND HEEOES OF

(SHA'HNAMA AND BUNDAHISH COMBINED.)
(6).

T6B.

Diiraushasp.

Spaenyasp.

Turak.

PASHANW,

Wisa.

Aghriras.

AFRAsiyAB.

Garsiwaz.

Kulbad.

Nastihan.

Pilsam.

Lahhfik.
Piran.

Farshidward.

H6man. Barman.

A female descendant or relative=KAi KAtis

(12).

Pashang Jahn.

Ruin.

Gurdgir.

Farangis=Siyawush = Janra

d.

Ruin

A daughter = Tazhav.

Surkha.

Kurakhan.

KAI KHUSRAU
(13).

Fanid.

The race becomes

extinct.

C.

Macau's edition of the Shahnama.

L.
P.

Lumsden's
Mold's
Tihrfin
Vullers'

do.
do.

T.

do.
do.

V.

BAN.

plain and literal translation of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments, now entitled the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, &c. By Richard F. Burton.
of Nidhami-i-

BCM.

The Chahar Maqala ("Four Discourses")

Translated 'Arudi-i-Samarqandi. Edward G. Browne, M.A., M.B.

into

English by

DEI.

J.

Darmesteter, Etudes Iraniennes.

DFKHP.
DHA.
DZA.

History of the Parsis.

By Dosabhai Framji Karaka, From the German of

C.S.I.

The History

of Antiquity.

Professor

Max

Duncker.

By

the late Evelyn Abbott, M.A.

Professor Darmesteter's Trans, of the Zandavasta in the

Sacred Books of the East.

pages.

Reference to Parts

and

EP.

Eastern Persia, an Account of the Journeys of the Persian Boundary Commission, 1870-71-72.

EHI.

The History of India as told by Sir H. M. Elliot, K.C.B. The History

Empire.
of the

its

own

Historians.

By

GDF.

Decline and Fall of the

Esq.

Roman

By Edward Gibbon,

With Notes by

Dean Milman and M.

Guizot. Edited, with additional Notes, by William Smith, LL.D.

GHP.
1

Histoiie des Perses par le

of Part
I.

Comte de Gobineau.
is

The second edition

referred to unless otherwise

specified.
93

94

INTRODUCTION
Essays on the Sacred Language, Writings, and Religion of the Parsis. By Martin Haug, Ph.D. Edited and
enlarged by E. W." West, Ph.D.

HEP.

HHR.
HIE.

Historical Researches.

By A. H.

L.

Heeren.

English

Translation.

The Indian Empire.

LL.D.
Asia.

By W. W. Hunter,

C.S.I., C.I.E.,

KA.

By

A. H. Keane, F.R.G.S.
Translated by the Rev.

KUR.

Kitab-i-Yamini of Al Utbi. James Reynolds, B.A.

History of Persia.

MHP.

By

Sir

John Malcolm, G.C.B.

MLM.
MZA.
NIN.

The

Life of

Muhammad.

By William

Muir, Esq.

Rev. L. H. Mills' Trans, of the Zaudavasta in the Sacred Books of the East. Reference to Part and pages.

Das Iranische Nationalepos von Theodor Noldeke.

Sketches from Eastern History.

NSEH.
NT.

By Theodor

Noldeke.

English Translation.
Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sasaniden. Aus der Arabischen Chronik des Tabari Ubersetzt und mit Ausfiihrlichen Erlauterungen und Erganzungen

Versehn von Th. Noldeke.

OHS.

The History of the

Edition.

Saracens.

By Simon
of

Ockley.

Fourth

RFGM.
RK.
RP.

The Five Great Monarchies

World.

the

Ancient Eastern

By George

Rawlinson, M.A.

The Koran
well.

translated from the Arabic. Second Edition.

First Series.

By

J.

M. Rod-

Records of the Past.

Do.

RPNS.

Second

Series.

RSM.
SHC.

The Seventh Great

Rawlinson, M.A.

Oriental

Monarchy.

By George
of the

The "Higher Criticism" and the Verdict

ments.

Monu-

By

the Rev. A. H. Sayce.

of the Pahlavi Texts in thefSacred Reference to Parts and pages.

WPT.

Dr. E.

W. West's Trans,
of the East.

Books

NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION
d
I
ft

" water." as in
as in "pique." as in " rude." as in

a
i

" servant."

as in "sin."

as oo in " foot." ai as i in " time." as ou in " cloud."

is

au
g
Jch

always hard as in "give."

as ch in the

German

"

buch."

zh as 2 in "azure."

Therefore "

Sm,"

the

name

of the father of Zl, should be pro-

nounced " Saum."

THE SHAHNAMA

THE PRELUDE
ARGUMENT
The poet, after invoking the name of God and praising Him and His wisdom, discourses of the world, of man, of the sun and moon, of the Prophet and his companions, of the compilation of the Shahnama, of the poet Dakikf, and of his own labours in connection with the poem, concluding with the praises of his patrons.

NOTE
" It read in the Zandavasta (the sky) looks like a of built a that stands heavenly substance, firmly estabpalace, lished, with ends that lie afar, shining with its body of ruby over
5.

We

the three-thirds
7.

(of

the earth)."
p.
is
1

For 'AH see

2.

Muhammadans

are divided into

many

referred to as the lord of the sacred law, read there " i.e. the Kuran, of stream, milk, &c. picture of the Paradise which is promised to the God-fearing Therein
sects.

Muhammad

We
;

are rivers of water which corrupt not and rivers of milk whose and rivers of wine delicious to those that taste changeth not quaff it and rivers of honey clarified: and therein are all kinds
;

of fruit for
10.

2 them, and forgiveness from their lord." The name of Firdausi's friend who procured for him the Shahnama of Abu Mansur (see pp. 67-69) is said to have been

Muhammad Lashkari. 3 n. Abu Mansur, son

of

Muhammad, may have been the son Abdu'r-Razzak, who had the prose Shahnama compiled (see p. 68), if the heading can be trusted. 12. Abu'l Kasim, i.e. Firdausi himself. The conquest of Kanniij took place after the completion of the Shahnama and in days
of

the

Muhammad, son

of

DZA,

ii.

80.

RK,

419.
99

C, Persian Preface, 23.

ioo

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSf

in exile.

when Firdausi was

The mention

of

Kannuj appears

" The " gardens of Irani were said to have been built by Shaddad, son of Ad, that he might anticipate on earth the joys promised him in Paradise by the prophet Hud. After toil extending over centuries the work was completed, but as Shaddad was on the point of entering into possession, he and all his host were slain 2 by a voice from heaven.
Nasiru'd-Din,
i.e.

to be a flattering anticipation of events on the poet's part. 1 The " trusty minister " was no doubt Abii'l 'Abbas Fazl.

Subuktigin (see

p. 20).

Nasr,

Mahmud's youngest

brother, acted as commander-in-chief,

and governed the province

successful administration he

brother in

of Nishapur. After some years of was recalled to court and served his various capacities. He was a patron of learning and

died young. 3 " " The prince of Tus appears to have been Arslan Jazib, one of Sultan Mahmud's most famous generals.

In the

Name

of God the Merciful, the Pitiful

IN the name of the Lord of both wisdom and mind, To nothing sublimer can thought be applied, The Lord of whatever is named or assigned A place, the Sustainer of all and the Guide, The Lord of Saturn and the turning sky,

Who Who
The

causeth Venus, Sun, and Moon to shine, is above conception, name, or sign,
!

Artist of the heaven's jewelry

Him

thou canst see not though thy sight thou

strain,

For thought itself will struggle to attain To One above all name and place in vain, Since mind and wisdom fail to penetrate Beyond our elements, but operate

On
1

matters that the senses render plain.

Kannuj seems
to

have been taken in A.D. 1019.

3

EHI,
484.

ii.

457.

BAN,

iv.

113.

KUK,

THE PRELUDE
None then can praise God as He is. Observe Thy duty 'tis to gird thyself to serve.
:

101

weigheth mind and wisdom should He be Encompassed by a thought that He hath weighed Can He be praised by such machinery As this, with mind or soul or reason's aid ? Confess His being but affirm no more, Adore Him and all other ways ignore, Observing His commands. Thy source of might Is knowledge thus old hearts grow young again, But things above the Veil surpass in height All words God's essence is beyond our ken.

He

V. 2

Discourse in Praise of
!

Wisdom

Speak, sage the praise of wisdom and rejoice The hearts of those that hearken to thy voice, As God's best gift to thee extol the worth Of wisdom, which will comfort thee and guide, And lead thee by the hand in heaven and earth.

Both joy and grief, and gain and loss, betide Therefrom, and when it is eclipsed the sane

Know
Thus

saith the wise

not of happiness one moment more. and virtuous man of lore

:

Lest sages search his words for fruit in vain " What man soever spurneth wisdom's rede

Will by so doing make his own heart bleed The prudent speak of him as one possessed,

And he
'

not of us his kin protest." In both worlds wisdom recommendeth thee

is

'

When
It is the

gyves are on the ankles of the mad mind's eye if thou dost not see
;

Therewith thy journey through this world

is

sad.

102

THE SHAHNAM A OF F1RDAUSI

was the
first

It

created thing, and

still

Presideth o'er the

Of

praise
it

All causes

faculty praise offered by tongue, ear, may be of good or ill.

mind and

and

eye,

To

And
J>To

praise both mind and wisdom who would dare if I venture, who would hear me through ?

Since then,
V. 3

O man of wisdom thou canst do good by words hereon, proceed, declare

!

Creation's process.

God

created thee

To know appearance and reality. Let wisdom be thy minister to fend Thy mind from all that self-respect should shun, Learn by the words of sages how to wend Thy way, roam earth, converse with every one
;

hearest any man of lore Discourse, sleep not, increase thy wisdom's store But mark, while gazing at the boughs of speech,

And when thou

How much

the roots thereof are out of reach.

Of

the

Making of

the

World

The first thing needful for thee is to know The sum of primal elements which He, Who maketh all things, made from naught The greatness of His own supremacy.
;

to

show

Those elements are fourfold at their birth No time elapsed and labour had no share Fire shone above, and in the midst were air And water underneath was dusky earth. Fire was the first its virtue to unfold About it moisture ceased and dryness came
;
;
;

THE PRELUDE
Then
fire

103

where'er

it

failed

made way
Even

for cold,

And
Of

moisture followed cold.

so the frame

this our

Wayside Hostelry was made.

When

They Of products as we see them was displayed. The turning vault of heaven showed its face, Exhibiting new wonders day by day, The Seven Planets then began their sway In yon Twelve Houses each one took its place, Foreboding good and ill, and giving fit Return to every one that hath the wit To read. The heavens, fettered sphere to sphere,
;

these four primal elements combined, wrought, each on the rest, till every kind

Moved

as their

making

to

completion came,

And then this earth, with mountain, desert, mere, And upland, shone as 'twere a lamp aflame.
The mountains reared themselves, the streams gushed
out,

While from the soil the herbs began to sprout. Our earth was not vouchsafed a lofty stead Obscurity and gloom prevailed around, But stars displayed their wonders overhead And light grew more abundant on the ground Then fire arose and water sank, the sun About the world its course began to run. The herbage and the various kinds of trees
;

V. 4
;

Grew up as fortune would. No faculties Have they but growth. Thus fixed they were the
prey the animals that passed, while they, The roamers, aim at safety, nourishment, And rest with such a life they are content.

Of

all

With
They

sluggish wits and tongues that never spake, browse upon the briar and the brake,

104

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Acknowledging no end
as

wrong or right

not required to offer reverence To Him who, having wisdom, justice, might, Hath not withheld one single excellence.

And

4
Of
the

Nature of

Man
sight
;

A farther

step

man cometh into

;

Locks had been made he was the key of each. With head erect and cypresslike in height, Submiss to wisdom and endowed with speech,

He

Possessed of knowledge, wisdom, reasoning, ruleth other creatures as their king.

:

Observe awhile with wisdom for thy guide " Doth " man imply one nature, one alone ? Thou know'st it may be but the feeble side Of mortal man, wherein no trace is shown Of aught beyond, and yet two worlds agree

mighty partnership
nature
first,

to furnish thee.

By

in order last, art

thou

Hold not thyself then lightly. I have known Shrewd men speak otherwise, but who shall trow The secrets that pertain to God alone ? Look to the end, act ever rightfully

And
But
V. 5

toil,

since sloth

and knowledge

ne'er agree

thou wouldst escape calamity, In both worlds from the net of bale be freed
if

And

Then

in God's sight a righteous man indeed, to yon swiftly turning dome thy gaze

A dome not
And

Direct, that cause of anguish and relief, fretted by the lapse of days

unaffected by our joy or grief;

THE PRELUDE
It

105

Not perishing

stayeth not to rest but turneth still, like us but undecayed

There both the term and process are displayed, There are revealed to thee both good and ill.

Of

the

Nature of

the

Sun

Of ruby is yon azure dome, not made Of air and water, dust and smoke 'tis all With lamp and torch in many a spot arrayed
;

Like gardens for the

New

Year's festival.

Within the dome a gladdening

Revolving
;

Gem

behold
is

thence the light of day

spread,

And

every morning It raiseth from the East its shining head The earth is clad in robes of spreading light,
;

like a shield of gold

The sun declineth and there cometh night

Day ne'er o'ertaketh night, nor night the day, Most regular in all their movements they.

thou

my Sun

hast thou for

me

no ray

Of

the

Nature of

the

Moon
a light assured
:

Though night be dark

See that thou use
it

there

is

not unworthily.

Two days and nights its features are obscured, Worn soothly by revolving presently
;

Tis seen again but pallid, thin, and backed, Like one who by the pangs of love is racked.

ro6
V. 6

Then

if

the gazer far away secure

thereof,
'tis

A glimpse
And

quickly lost to sight

it

But on the following eve

seemeth more

yieldeth unto thee a larger light. In fourteen days it waxeth full and bright, In fourteen waneth till its course is run, Diminishing as night succeedeth night

And drawing

nearer to the blazing sun.

Such was the nature given by God's decree

And

will be, while the

moon

itself shall be.

The Praise of

the Prophet

and

his

Companions
they,

The Faith and knowledge trusty guides are And 'tis for thee to seek Salvation's way
;

If

thou wouldst have thy heart not sad, not see Thy spirit wretched through eternity,

To take the Prophet's teaching be thy part, There wash away the darkness of thy heart.

What was
"

it

that

He

said,

the inspired Lord,

Of bidding and forbidding

I

Heaven's own word

the City of the Doctrine, he That is the gateway to it is 'All." I witness that His heart is in that word

am

As though, as thou mayst say, His voice Regard then each companion and 'Ali As those that gave the Faith stability
;

I heard.

These are the moons, the Prophet is the sun With them in union is the way to run. Slave of the Prophet's slaves with praise I greet
;

The dust upon

v. 7

his mandatary's feet,

What
This

others say to

me

is

no concern,
never turn.

is

my

way, from

this I

THE PRELUDE
The sage regardeth as a sea this world, A sea whose waves are driven by the
blast

107

There seventy gallant ships go sailing past, Each with her canvas every stitch unfurled.

One stately vessel is in bridal gear, As beauteous as the eye of chanticleer.

Muhammad
That

and

'Ali are there

within
their kin.

stately vessel, they

and

all

The sage beholding from afar that sea Of viewless shore and depth, and ware that he Must face the waves where all must drown, " If Shall go down with Muhammad and 'AH,"

He
And

saith,

" I sink in

goodly company,

surely
is

He

will rescue

me from

ill,

Who

The Lord Of founts

If

of standard, crown, and throne the Lord, of wine, of honey, and of rill,

of milk and floods which spread abroad." on the other world thou fix thine eyes Keep close beside the Prophet and 'Ali, And, should ill follow, lay the blame on me,

take myself the course that I advise. In this Faith was I born, in this will die The dust upon the Lion's foot am I.
;

Who

Thy

heart, if prone to err,

is

thine

own

foe,

can the world more abject miscreants know Than haters of 'All, for born in shame Are they, and destined to eternal flame ? Take not this world in jest, but walk with those
steps are right right as thine end propose thou wouldst be with men of glorious name. Why do I talk so long ? I fail to see A limit to my theme's fertility.
;

And

Whose

If

io8

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSt

On
V. 8

the Compilation of the

Shdhndma

All have gone sweeping in the garth of lore

And what

I tell

hath

all

been told before,

But though upon a fruit-tree I obtain No place, and purpose not to climb, still he That sheltereth beneath a lofty tree Will from its shadow some protection gain
;

footing on the boughs too I

may

find

Of yonder shady cypress after all For having left this history behind Of famous kings as my memorial.

Deem
As

if

not these legends lying fantasy, the world were always in one stay,

For most accord with sense, or anyway Contain a moral. In the days gone by There was an Epic Cycle spread broadcast

Among
An

the learned archmages, and at last

birth,

A certain paladin, of rustic A man of courage, wisdom,

rank,

and worth,

antiquary, one who ransacked earth For any legends of the ages past, Intent on learning what might yet be known, Called hoar archmages out of every clime,

To ask about the annals of the The famed successful heroes

throne, of old time,

doing in those days that we of misery, such a world Inherit And how each day beneath auspicious skies

What men were

They carried out some daring enterprise. The archmages told their legendary store, How this world fared and what kings undertook,

THE PRELUDE
And
as

109

he listened

to the

men

of lore

He laid

the basis of the famous book,

Which now remaineth his memorial, Amid the plaudits both of great and small.

Of

the poet

Dakiki

Now, when the readers of the book had brought The stories into vogue, all hearts were caught, At least among the men of parts and thought.

A
"

youth well skilled in poetry Arose, of ardent mind and eloquent

brilliant
;

I will retell these tales in verse," said he,

And

every one rejoiced at his intent

But vicious habits were his friends, though we Should hold all vices foes that we should dread,

And

Imposed

death, approaching unexpectedly, its gloomy helmet on his head.

life to vice,

and earth ne'er gave Him true enjoyment day While fortune quickly turned its face away He perished by the hand of his own slave. Departing thus he left those tales of yore Untold their wakened fortune slept once more. O God forgive his faults, and in Thy grace Assign him at the last an honoured place.
gave his
for a single
:

He

IO

How

the present

Book was begun

fell,
;

Mine ardent heart turned, when Dakiki

Spontaneously toward the Iranian throne " If I can get the book I will retell,"
I said,
"

the tales in language of mine own."

'i

10

THE SHAHNAMA OF PIRDA USt

asked of persons more than I can say, For I was fearful as time passed away That life would not suffice, but that I too OI leave the work for other hands to do. _Should ff] There was besides a dearth of patronage For such a work there was no purchaser. It was a time of war, a straitened age For those who had petitions to prefer. Much time elapsed. I still concealed from all
I
;

My
More

One who was worthy

secret purpose, for I could not see to partake with me

This enterprise. What in this world can be excellent than noble words ? Men call
blessings

Down

on them,

men

both great and small.

V. 10

Good words had God vouchsafed not to provide, How had the Prophet ever been our guide ? I had a dear friend in the city, thou Hadst said " They twain have but one skin." One day He said " I like thy scheme pursue thy way Thy feet are hi the right direction now.
:
:

my part to procure This ancient Persian book but be not slack. Of youth and eloquence thou hast a store,
;

I undertake for

Thy speech
The
stories of
raise

possesseth too the ancient smack. our kings afresh relate,

And

thy reputation with the great." brought the volume to me and anon The darkness of my gloomy soul was gone.

He

In Praise of

Abu Mansur, Son

of

Muhammad

When

I obtained the volume a grandee Of noble lineage and conspicuous worth, Still in his youth, a paladin by birth,

THE PRELUDE
Possessing prudence, wit, and energy, A lord of counsel and of modesty,

in

To hear whose
Said unto

gentle accents was

"

my joy,

I employ To make thee give thy life to poetry ? I will do all and hide thy poverty." He used to tender me as one would tend Ripe apples, lest a breath of wind should spoil Thus through that noble and kind-hearted friend
:

me

What means

can

I soared to Saturn from our grimy soil. In his eyes gold and silver were as dust While rank gained lustre. Earth seemed vile

indeed
Before him.

He was

brave and one to

trust,

And

Avhen he perished was as in a lofty cypress levelled by a gust.

;

mead

no trace of him alive or dead murderous Crocodiles his life was sped. By Woe for that girdle and that girdlestead, That royal mien, that high imperial head
I see
!

Bereft of

my hopes ceased to be, a like willow-tree My spirit quivered But I bethink me, to redress this woe, Of counsel which to that great prince I owe
heart's
;

him

V.
;

He
To

said
tell

"
:

This Tale of Kings,

if 'tis

thy fate
;

.'

Those my Thereto a sense of gladness and content

I

to the great king dedicate." words gave solace to heart there /

it,
;

came

took in hand

my

story in the

name

Of him who is o'er kings pre-eminent, The lord of earth, the lord of crown and throne,

Whose

conquering known.

fortune

sleep

hath

never

U2

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

12

The Praise of Sultan

Mahmud

Ne'er, since the making of the world was done, Hath such a king been seen by human eye
;

The crown above his throne is And maketh earth as bright

like the sun,

as ivory.

How
Abii'l

canst thou say

far

"
:

It is the

sun indeed

"
?

From him by
Kasim
!

glorious rays proceed. this all-victorious one

!

more

Hath

His His

set his throne yet higher than the sun are the rays which illustrate the sky,
is

the Grace which openeth afar

of gold.

Yon mines

Awoke my slumbering star. Ideas poured through my brain tumultuously. " The time for speaking in good sooth Methought Hath come, the outworn age regaineth youth."
:

I fell asleep

of this great monarch occupied one night with lips all praise, While my free heart, although my lips were Shone in the dark. Then I beheld in sleep A dazzling lustre rising from the deep

By thoughts

tied,

And making by

the brightness of

its

rays

The gloom of earth like glittering gems. The waste Grew like brocade beneath that radiant light,

And in the midst a turquoise throne was placed. Upon the throne there sat a moon-like king
With on his head a crown for covering. His army stretched two miles. To left there were
Seven hundred elephants in
v. 12

Before

To

all their might. stood a trusty minister guide him to the Faith and to do right.

him

THE PRELUDE

113

By that Shah's Grace, by all those troops outspread And mighty elephants my head was dazed, And as upon his royal face I gazed
To that
"

illustrious

company

I said

Is this the

sky and moon, or throne and crown

Are these

his soldiers or the stars

"
:

come down

"

Tis the king of Rum and Ind, from King Kanniij e'en to the river Sind, in While Tiiran and in f ran men give As slaves obedience to his will and live Thereby. With justice decked he earth and now, That done, hath set the crown upon his brow. Mahmud the worldlord, the great Shah, doth

One answered

bring

Together sheep and wolf for watering. The monarchs from Kashmir down to the sea

Of Chin

And

are instant in his eulogy, children yet within their cots proclaim
lips

With

unweaned

as their first

word

his

name
speak,

Do thou too tell his praise, for thou canst And through him everlasting glory seek.
All do his bidding and keep fealty."

When
!

awakened

to

my

feet I sprang,
!

Oh what a while that night his praise I sang No drachms had I but poured my soul, and cried
mine own heart " My dream is justified. For his renown is patent far and wide." Then praise to him who praiseth the Most High For sleepless fortune, crown, and signet-ring. His glory maketh earth like garths in Spring With flower-painted soil and cloudy sky A sky whence in their season showers come
To:

And make the world a garden of Iram. What good is in Iran his justice giveth, His name alone is heard where any liveth.
H

ii4

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSI

bounteous Heaven at banquets thou wilt find, A sharp-clawed Dragon in the fray meanwhile He is an elephant, hath Gabriel's mind,

Hands
v
-

like a winter-cloud, heart like the Nile.

is

'3

When
Is,

he

wroth, opposing fortune's might

;

as dinars are, worthless in his sight To boast of crown and hoard is not his part, And war and travail darken not his heart.

All those

who

are

among

his fosterlings,

Freeborn or otherwise, but noble still, Devoted lieges of the king of kings,

With loins girt ready to perform his will, Have each a province under their control, Each hath his name inscribed on every roll. The foremost is his brother, who in years
Is younger,

They who

Joy For he who hath Nasiru'd-Din for sire Hath round his throne the Pleiads in a ring, And is the lord of prowess, rede, and might In whom the nobles, one and all, delight.

but in courage hath no peers are courtiers of his Grace acquire in the shadow of the age's king,
;

Next

is

the prince of Tus, a valiant lord

mocketh lions in the battle-tide, And lavisheth what fortune may accord To him, desiring honour, naught beside.

Who

He

leadeth

men

to

God

his prayer

is still
ill.

That the Shah's head

May And may

may be preserved from that earth ne'er see royal head go down,
the

Shah

rejoice for ever thus,

Possessing health of body, throne, and crown, Unpained, untroubled, and victorious.

Now
To

to the

opening of

my

work once more

tell

the tales of famous kings of yore.

THE BEGINNING OF THE HISTORY

I

THE PISHDlDIAN DYNASTY

ARGUMENT
The poet tells the history of the first ten Shajis of Iran, describes the progress of the world from barbarism to culture, and the invention of the arts and sciences, and finally how the Grace departed from the Pishdadian Dynasty through the unworthiness
and degeneracy
of its representatives.

NOTE
The word Pishdadian, the name given to the Shahs of the first Iranian Dynasty, means those of the old law or original dispensation. Zoroastrianism was built upon an older foundation of
nature-worship, to which it bears some such relation as the New Testament bears to the Old. One of the gods of the elder faith Ahura, the Asura of India became the supreme deity, Ahura

Mazda, of the new dispensation, and the Urmuzd of the Shahnama. Accordingly Gaiiimart, the first Shah in the poem, is expressly 1 recognised in the Zandavasta, as the first worshipper of Urmuzd. Hushang, the second Shah, institutes the worship of fire a characteristic feature of Zoroastrianism. Urmuzd in the Zandavasta makes a covenant with Yima, the fourth Shah, and tries to persuade him to undertake the part of lawgiver afterwards taken by Zoroaster, but Yima through modesty declines. Zoroastrianism therefore in a sense existed before Zoroaster, with whose advent the Zandavasta ends ; hence there is less anachronism than might be supposed in the allusions, often made in the earlier parts of the poem, to fire-worship, the Zandavasta, and similar matters. Zoroaster was the first recipient of tht>
complete revelation.
]

DZA,

ii.

200.

GAltfMART
HE REIGNED FOR THIRTY YEARS
ARGUMENT
Gaiiimart, the first Shah and the first ruler of the world, incurs the envy of Ahriman, who sends a host of divs to attack him, commanded by the Black Div the son of Ahriman. Siyamak, the son of Gaiumart, with an army encounters the Black Div and is slain, but is avenged by his son Hiishang, who succeeds to the throne on the death of his grandfather.

NOTE
in his account of Gaiumart omits much Zoroastrian In the Bundahish Urmuzd is represented as first creating two beings the representatives of mankind, and of the animals and plants, respectively. These were Gaiumart and the Primeval Ox. For three thousand years they lived happily and unmolested in the world of Urmuzd. At the expiration of this period Ahriman assailed the creation of Urmuzd, and slew both the Ox and Gaiumart but the latter survived the former by thirty years, which became the duration of the reign of the first Shah in the

The poet

lore.

poem. The Ox in dying gave origin to the plants and animals, and Gaiumart to the first human couple Mashya l and Mashyoi who in turn produced offspring among which was Siyamak, who is represented as the son of Gaiumart in the Shahmima. In the poem, too, the attack on Gaiumart is made indirectly by means of the Black Div, not directly by Ahriman as in the Bundahish. The reader may be reminded that the Bundahish is a Pahlavi version of the lost book of the Zandavasta known as the Damdad
or " races produced."
I.e.

man. DZA, "7

i.

Iviii.

ii8

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

Gaiumart is stated to have made his home Mountains were looked upon as sacred places

It will be noticed that

upon a mountain.

in old times as being nearer heaven.

Urmuzd

reveals the Zanda-

vasta to Zoroaster on the mountain of the holy Questions. 1 In the division of mankind into castes in the reign of Jamshid the

mountains are specially set apart for the priests. The mother of Faridun with her infant son takes refuge with a holy hermit who dwells on Mount Alburz, and there too Kai Kubad, the founder of the Kaianian Dynasty, receives the news of his election
to the throne.

The Greatness of Gaiumart and

the

Envy of Ahriman
first

What
V. 14

saith the rustic bard

Who

designed
?

power among mankind Who placed the diadem upon his brow ? The record of those days hath perished now

To gain the crown

of

Unless one, having borne in

memory

Tales told by sire to son, declare to thee Who was the first to use the royal style And stood the head of all the mighty file.

He who compiled the ancient legendary, And tales of paladins, saith Gaiumart
Invented crown and throne, and was a Shah.
This order, Grace, and lustre came to earth When Sol was dominant in Aries

And shone
!

Its lord

'

grew young. was Gaiumart, who dwelt at first Upon a mountain thence his throne and fortune Rose. He and all his troop wore leopard-skins, And under him the arts of life began, For food and dress were in their infancy.
;

so brightly that the world

Introd. p. 62.

GAIUMART

119

He

reigned o'er
as a full

all

the earth for thirty years,

o'er a lofty cypress

In goodness like a sun upon the throne,

And

moon

So shone he from the seat of king of kings. The cattle and the divers beasts of prey Grew tame before him men stood not erect
;

Before his throne but bent, as though in prayer, Awed by the splendour of his high estate,

And

thence received their Faith.

He had
Named
Siyamak, ambitious like his
skilled,
sire,

a son

A youth well favoured,

His father's Life, That fruitful offshoot of the ancient stem. That Life the father cherished tenderly, And wept for love, consumed by dread of parting. Thus time passed onward and the kingdom
prospered,

and fortunate, whose joy was gazing on him,

For Gaiumart had not an enemy Except, in secret, wicked Ahriman,

V.

Who

led

by envy sought the upper hand.

He had

Grown The son assembled

a son too, like a savage wolf fearless, and a host of warriors.

these and sought his sire, Resolved to win the great Shah's throne and crown, Whose fortune joined with that of Siyamak Made the world black to him. He told his purpose To every one and filled the world with clamour
;

But who told Gaiumart about the foe ? The blest Suriish appeared in fairy-form, Bedight with leopard-skin, and told the king The projects that his foes were harbouring.

120

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSl

How Siydmak
News
With

was Slain by the

Hand

of the Div

Who listened
rage.

of that foul dfv's acts reached Siyamak, eagerly his heart seethed up
;

gathered troops, arrayed himself In leopard-skin, for mail was yet unworn, And went to fight. When host met host he came In front unarmed to grapple with the son

He

Of Ahriman. That horrible Black Dfv Clutched at, bent down that prince of lofty stature

And rent him open. Thus died Siydmak By that foul hand and left the army chiefless.
world turned black he left his throne, wailed aloud And tore his face and body with his nails His cheeks were smirched with blood, his heart was
this the

When

Gaiumart heard

To him, he

v. 16

broken,

And

life

grew sombre.

All the soldiers wept,

Consumed upon the flames of woe, and wailed As clad in turquoise-coloured garb they stood

Were
With

All cheeks shed tears of blood. Birds, timid beasts and fierce, flocked to the mountain

Before the portal of the Shah.

wine-red, for all eyes

doleful cries in anguish, and dust rose Before the court-gate of the mighty Shah. When one year had passed thus the blest Surush
;

Was sent by God he greeted Gaiumart And said " Lament no more, control thyself, Do as I bid, collect thy troops and turn
:

Thy foemen
Of that

into dust, relieve earth's surface

vile div

and thine own heart

of vengeance."

GAIJjMART
The famous Shah looked up and cursed
Then, calling by the highest of all names Upon his God, he wiped his tears away And prosecuted vengeance night and day.
his foes,

121

How

HusJiang and Gaitimart went

to

Fight the Black

Dw

The

blessed

Siyamak had

left

a son,

His grandsire's minister, a prince by name Hiishang a name implying sense and wisdom. It was the lost restored and fondly cherished, And therefore being set on war the Shah Sent for the prince and frankly told him all " I mean to gather troops and raise the war-cry, But thou being young shalt lead for I am spent."
:

V. 17

He And raveners,
But took The Black

raised a host of

fairies, lions,

pards,

fearless tigers, the rear, his grandson led the host.

Di'v

as wolves

and

though

in terror raised the dust

To heaven, but

his claws were

Frayed by the roaring beasts.

hanging slack Hushang saw

this

And putting forth his hands like lion's paws Made earth too narrow for the lusty div,
Then

And trampled him

The days
of

flayed him, lopping off his monstrous head, in scorn thus flayed and shent.

Gaiumart had reached their close When he achieved this vengeance on his foes He passed away, the world was for his heir, But see who hath had glory to compare With his He owned this tricky world and made The path of gain his path, and yet he stayed Not to enjoy, for like a story done Is this world good and ill abide with none.
;
! :

II

HtfSHANG
HE REIGNED FORTY YEARS
ARGUMENT
Hushang succeeds his grandfather Gaiumart as Shah. He is a great culture-hero, and invents the arts of working in metals, He introduces the use of domestic irrigation, agriculture, &c.
animals and discovers the feast of Sada.
fire.

He

institutes its worship,

and founds

NOTE
Hushang the Haoshyangha of the Zandavasta is, according to the older authorities, the first Shah of the Pishdadian dynasty, and the grandson, not the son, of Siyamak. Siyamak and his wife Nashak produced a pair named Fravak and Fravakain, who produced in their turn fifteen pairs. Of these, nine pairs proceeded on the back of the ox Sarsaok through the ocean the chain of rivers, lakes, seas, and gulfs surrounding the central
clime in the old cosmogony to the other six climes and stayed there, while the other six pairs, of whom Hushang and his wife Giizhak were one, remained to people the central clime within

which Iran

is

situated. 1

The Accession of Hushang and

his civilising Arts

Hushang, a just and prudent sovereign,

V.
1

Assumed his grandsire's crown. For forty years Heaven turned above him. He was just and wise.
i

WPT,
122

i.

58.

HUSHAN G
He
said
"
:

123

I lord it o'er the seven climes,

Victorious everywhere.
I practise

My

word

is
;

law,

bounteousness and equity

willed."

So hath God

He civilised the world, And filled the surface of the earth with justice. He was the first to deal with minerals And win the iron from the rock by craft. He gained more knowledge and, inventing smithing,
Made
To
axes, saws,

and mattocks.

Next he turned
;

irrigation by canals and ducts Grace made the labour short. As knowledge grew

reaped and planted. Each produced whereof he ate, and kept his station. Till then men lived on fruit in poor estate And clad themselves in leaves. Religious rites Existed, Gaiuinart had worshipped God.

Men sowed and

loaf

The

And

Hiishang first showed the fire within the stone, thence through all the world its radiance shone.

How

the

Feast of

Sada

icas

Founded
his

One day he reached

mountain with

men
v. 19

And saw

With Bedimmed the

afar a long swift dusky form eyes like pools of blood and jaws

whose smoke

Hiishang the wary seized A stone, advanced and hurled it royally. The world-consuming worm escaped, the stone
world.

Struck on a larger, and they both were shivered. Sparks issued and the centres flashed. The fire Came from its stony hiding-place again When iron knocked. The worldlord offered praise For such a radiant gift. He made of fire A cynosure. " This lustre is divine,"

He

"
said,

and thou

if

wise

must worship

it."

124

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSl

That night he made a mighty blaze, he stood Around it with his men and held the feast Called Sada that bright festival rernaineth As his memorial, and may earth see More royal benefactors like to him. By Grace and kingly power domesticating Ox, ass, and sheep he turned them to good use. " Pair them," he said, " use them for toil, enjoy Their produce, and provide therewith your taxes.'
;

He

slew the furry rovers for their skins,

Such as the squirrel, ermine, fox, and sable, So sleek of hair the rovers clothed the talkers,
;

v. 20

He

gave, spent freely, and enjoyed the fruit,

repute.

Then passing took naught with him but In life no little share of toil had he
In musings past
all

count and grammarye,

And when a better life was his elsewhere He left the throne of greatness to his heir.
The time that fortune gave him did not
last

For long, Hiishang, the wise and prudent, passed. To thee too this world will not give its love, Nor will it from its face the veil remove.

Ill

TAHMtlEAS
TAHMtfRAS, THE BINDER OF THE

REIGNED THIRTY YEARS

ARGUMENT
Tahmuras, the son
of

Hushang, continues

his father's

work as a

culture-hero, in the domestication of animals, the invention of weaving, &c., conquers and enslaves Ahriman, and defeats the
divs,

whose

him the

lives he spares on condition that they shall teach art of writing.

NOTE
According to the Bundahish, Tahmuras the Takhma Urupa Zandavasta was the great grandson of Hushang, and the brother of Jamshid, who, however, is represented as his son in the poem. The legend of the binding of Ahriman by Tahmuras is several times mentioned in the Zandavasta, where he is represented as praying that he may conquer all demons and men, all sorcerers and fairies, and ride Ahriman, turned into the shape of a horse, all around the earth for thirty years. 1 From
of the

we learn that Ahriman, while kept as a charger by Tahmuras, persuaded the tatter's wife to reveal her husband's secrets, and acting on the information thus gained threw off Tahmuras and swallowed him while he was riding down Mount
other sources

Yim (Jamshid), hearing of his brother's misfortune, succeeded in dragging the corpse from the entrails of the fiend, and thus restored the culture of the world which had perished with Tahmuras. 2
Alburz.
1

DZA,

ii. 252, 292. Id. 252, note. WPT.

iii.

60,

and

note.

125

126

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

will

The reader

note the reappearance of the Black Div in this

reign after his apparently complete destruction by Hushang. The explanation of course is that the aim of the poet is to follow
his authorities, not to make consistent stories. He 1 ing with another legend, so the Black Div reappears.
is

here deal-

Tahmdras ascends

the Throne, invents

new Arts, subdues

the Divs,

and

dies

Hushang possessed a wise and noble son Hight Tahmuras the Binder of the Dfv

Who
Then
Said
:

took the throne and girt his loins to rule, called the archmages and in gracious words
"

Throne and palace, crown and mace and cap Are mine to-day, and when my rede hath purged The world a mountain-top shall.be my footstool.
I will restrain

the Div, will reign supreme,

And use the useful for the common gold." He sheared the flocks, and men began to spin He thus invented clothes and draperies. He chose the swiftest quadrupeds and made them
;

21

To feed on barley, grass, and hay he noted The shyest of the beasts of prey, and chose The jackal and the cheetah, luring them From hill and plain, and taught them to obey him.
;

Among
And
\

the well-armed birds he chose the

hawk

noble falcon, and began to tame them While men looked on amazed. His orders were

To

rear the birds

and speak

to

them with kindness.

He brought the cocks and hens to crow at drumbeat, 2 And turned all hidden properties to use. He said " Address your prayers and praise to Him
:

Who made
Praise be to
1

the world, and us to rule the beasts

Him,

for

He

directed us."

See Introd. p. 48. The drum beaten outside palaces in the East at dawn.

TAHMURAS
He had
By name
famed and honest minister Shidasp, an upright man who took
a

127

No He

step unless toward justice.

Through the day

fasted, through the night he prayed, and lived In charity with all. The Shah's good fortune Was his sole wealth, ill doers he restrained And taught the Shah all good, acknowledging

No

rank but excellence till Tahmiiras, Purged of his faults and glorious with the Grace, Bound Ahriman with spells and rode him horsewise At whiles around the world. Thereat the divs Rebelled and held a conclave, for their throne Of gold was void. When Tahmuras was ware He was enraged and spoiled their trafficking, Girt him with Grace and took his massive mace. Then all the divs and warlocks sallied forth A huge magician host. The Black Div led them

v. 22

And

vapoured, while their shouts affronted heaven. It darkened, earth turned sable and all eyes

Grew dim.
Advanced

The
girt

illustrious worldlord
for battle

Tahmuras

and revenge. There were the roar of flame and reek of divs, Here were the warriors of the lord of earth, Who ranked his troops and speedily prevailed, For of the foe he bound the most by spells

up

And

quelled the others with his massive mace.

The captives bound and stricken begged their lives. " " Destroy us not," they said, and we will teach thee A new and fruitful art." He gave them quarter To learn their secret. When they were released They had to serve him, lit his mind with knowledge And taught him how to write some thirty scripts Such as the Human, Persian, Arabic, Sughdi, Chini, and Pahlavi, and thus
Delineate sounds.

How many

better arts

128

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSf

Explored he in a reign of thirty years, His time of life was spent Yet passed away
!

And

all his toils

!

became

his

monument.
;

thou wilt soon such is no boon off, caressing Thou raisest one to very heaven on high,
world
caress not those

whom

Cut

for

Then biddest him

in sorry dust to

lie.

IV

JAMSHfD
HE REIGNED SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS
ARGUMENT
Jamshid succeeds his father Tahmuras as Shah, and becomes the greatest and most famous of the culture-heroes. He continues the work of his predecessors, makes additions of his own, and introduces the luxuries and refinements of life. He divides mankind into four castes or
is

the of the

first
air,

He travels over the world, and classes. to cross the sea in ships. He aspires to the dominion obtains it, and lives in ever closer communion with God.

Ahriman is rendered powerless for ill, disease and death cease, and the world passes through the Golden Age. At length, spoiled by success, Jamshid comes to think himself God, and orders that divine honours shall be paid to himself alone. The Grace of God abandons him. Ahriman is unchained and incites Zahhak, who has become his instrument, to make war on Jamshid, and the latter
is slain.

NOTE
Jamshid, as we have already seen, is the brother, not the son on, Tahmuras in the older form of the legends. With the reign ign of Jamshid the Vedas, Zandavasta, and Shahnama meet on common ground. In the Vedas Manu and Yama are the twin sons o Vivasvat, the bright or shining one, i.e. the sun. Manu is the 1 progenitor and lawgiver of the Aryan race and Yama is a god. In the Zandavasta Yima is the son of Vivanghat, is the Iranian Noah, has a covenant with God, and is offered by Him the post afterwards accepted by Zoroaster. In the legend of the building
of
i \
!

DHA,
129

iv.

31.
1

130
of his Var, or

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSf

underground
:

have the origin

palace, in anticipation of the Flood, we of Firdausi's account of the architectural achieve'

:

of Jamshid " Then Yima said within himself How shall manage to make that Vara which Ahura Mazda has commanded me to make?' And Ahura Mazda said unto Yima: '0 fair Crush the earth with a stamp of Yima, son of Vivanghat thy heel, and then knead it with thy hands, as the potter does And Yima made a Vara, when kneading the potter's clay.

ments
I

.'

There long as a riding-ground, on every side of the square. he established dwelling-places, consisting of a house with a balcony, In the largest part of the place he a courtyard, and a gallery. made nine streets, six in the middle part, three in the smallest." l
.
.

He is described as " the bright Yima, the good shepherd he ruled over the seven Karshvares (Climes) of the earth, over the Daevas (demons) and men. He who took from the Daevas both riches and welfare, both fatness and flocks, both weal and In whose reign both aliments (food and drink) were Glory. never failing for feeding creatures, flocks and men were undying, waters and plants were undrying in whose reign there was neither cold wind nor hot wind, neither old age nor death, nor envy made by the Daevas, in the times before his lie, before he began to have delight in words of falsehood and untruth. But when he began to have delight in words of falsehood and untruth, the Glory was seen to flee away from him in the shape of a bird. When his Glory had disappeared, then the great Yima the good shepherd, trembled and was in sorrow before his foes he was confounded, and laid him down on the ground.'"' 2 Elsewhere his being sawn asunder is mentioned, the act not being referred directly " he who sawed Yima in twain." 3 to Zahhak but to Spityura, Spityura was a brother of Yima's. He is not mentioned in the Shahnama but the enmity between brothers, so characteristic of Eastern life, crops up again and again in the poem. Thus the two brothers of Faridun envy and try to murder him, and the incident recurs with more disastrous results in the case of Faridun's
.
. .
.

own

sons.

division into castes also appears in the Zandavasta, where both the three and the four castes are mentioned, and the first three are there stated to have been instituted by Zoroaster, who 4 In the poem placed his three earthly sons at the head of them. the his are institution of they great predecessor Jamshid. Jamshid is a contraction of Yima and Khshaeta (king). 5
1

The

DZA,

i.

8.

a
iii.

Id.

ii.

293.

3
5

Id. 297.

Id. 201,

and see MZA,

265.

HEP,

277.

JAMSHtD
For Iblis, see Introduction, p. 70. Zahhak will be dealt with under
;

131

his proper head but it may be pointed out with regard to the strange story of his second fall, owing to the pleasures of the table, that in the Bundahish Mashya and Mashyoi the original human pair who apparently at first lived entirely on water, are incited to partake of stronger meats owing to their relish for the weaker sorts being taken from them 1 by the demons. Elsewhere in the same work we read " On the nature of the resurrection and future existence it says in revelation, that, first fed upon water, then whereas Mashya and Mashyoi plants, then milk, and then meat, men also when their time of death has come, first desist from eating meat, then milk, then from bread, till when they shall die they always feed upon water. So, likewise, in the millennium. They will desist from meat food, and eat vegetables and milk afterwards they abstain from milk food and abstain from vegetable food, and are feeding on water; and for ten years before Soshyans comes they remain without food, and do not die." 2 Soshyans is the third of the divine sons of Zoroaster, and the Messiah of Zoroastrianism. There is plenty in the above extract to account for such a legend as that of the text.
: .
.

The Greatness and Fall of Jamshid

Jamshid, the mighty son of Tahmiiras,

Full of his father's maxims, girt himself, Succeeded to his glorious father's throne, And wore in kingly wise the crown of gold.

V. 23

His girdle was the Grace of king of kings, And all the world obeyed him, contests ceased, The age had rest, and bird and div and fairy Were his to bid, the world took added lustre, Through him the throne of Shahs was glorified. " Mine is the Grace," he said, " I am both king

And archimage, 1 will restrain ill-doers And make for souls a path toward the light."
i

WPT,

i.

54, 55.

Id. 120.

132

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

first

He

The door

of fame.

wrought arms and oped for warriors His Grace made iron yield

He fashioned it to helmets, hauberks, breastplates, And coats of armour both for man and horse.
His ardent mind achieved the work and made Good store in fifty years. Another fifty He spent on raiment fit for fight or feast And made of spun and floss silk, hair and cotton, Fine fabrics, cloth of hair and rich brocade. He taught to spin and weave, and when the stuffs Were made he showed men how to full and sew them Then to the joy of all he founded castes For every craft it took him fifty years. Distinguishing one caste as sacerdotal
;

To be employed

in sacred offices,

the mountains That God might be adored in quietude. Arrayed for battle on the other hand Were those who formed the military caste They were the lion-men inured to warThe Lights of armies and of provinces Whose office was to guard the royal throne
;

He separated it from other folk And made its place of service on

And
The
/

vindicate the nation's

name

for valour.

third caste was the agricultural, All independent tillers of the soil,

The sowers and the reapers men whom none Upbraideth when they eat. Though clothed in rags, The wearers are not slaves, and sounds of chiding Reach not their ears. They are free men and labour
from dispute and contest. man and eloquent ? " 'Tis idleness that maketh freemen slaves." The fourth caste was the artizans. They live By doing handiwork a turbulent crew,

Upon What

the

soil safe

said the noble

JAMSHlD

133

Who

being always busied with their craft

Are given much to thought. Jamshid thus spent Another fifty years and did much good, For each man learnt his place and others' too. He bade the foul divs temper earth with water And taught them how to fashion moulds for bricks. They laid foundations first with stones and lime, Then raised thereon by rules of art such structures As hot baths, lofty halls, and sanctuaries. He searched among the rocks for stones whose lustre Attracted him and came on many a jewel, As rubies, amber, silver, gold. Jamshid Unlocked their doors and brought them forth by
spells.

V. 25

He

introduced the scents that

men

enjoy

As camphor, genuine musk,

Sweet

gum

Benjamin,

aloe, ambergris, and bright rosewater. Next leechcraft and the healing of the sick, The means of health, the course of maladies Were secrets opened by Jamshid the world Hath seen no other such discoverer. He crossed the sea in ships. For fifty years His wisdom brought to light the properties Of things. These works achieved, Jamshid ambitioned Rank loftier still, and by his royal Grace Made him a throne, with what a wealth of gems Inlaid which when he willed the divs took up
:

And bare from earth to heaven. There the Shah, Whose word was law, sat sunlike in mid air.
The world assembled round his throne in wonder At his resplendent fortune, while on him The people scattered jewels, and bestowed

Upon
The

the day the

name

of

New

Year's Day,
strife.

<_^

first

When

and of the year, limbs repose from labour, hearts from

of Farwardin

134
V. 26

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

chieftains held a festival,

The noble

Called for the goblet, wine, and minstrelsy, And ever since that time that glorious day

Remaineth the memorial Thus things continued

of that Shah.
for three centuries,
;

And

the while men never looked on death wotted not of travail or of ill, They And divs like slaves were girt to do them service Men hearkened to Jamshid with both their ears,
all

Sweet voices

filled

the world with melody,

:

And
The

years had come and gone royal Grace shone brightly from the Shah

thus

till

many

His ends had been attained, the world reposed, And still new revelations came from God, Men saw but goodness in their king, the earth Served him, he reigned a monarch with the Grace.

One day contemplating the throne

of

He deemed

that he was peerless.

He knew
all

power God,

But acted frowardly and turned aside

In his ingratitude.

He summoned

The chiefs, and what a wealth of words he used " The world is mine, I found its properties, The royal throne hath seen no king like me,
For
I

have decked the world with excellence

to

And fashioned earth according From me derive your provand,

V. 27

my

will.

ease, and sleep, Your raiment and your pleasure. Mine are greatness And diadem and sovereignty. Who saith That there is any great king save myself ? Leechcraft hath cured the world, disease and death Are stayed. Though kings are many who but I Saved men from death ? Ye owe me sense and life They who adore me not are Ahrimans. So now that ye perceive what I have done
:

All hail

me

as the

Maker

of the world."

JAMSHID
Thereat the archmages hung
plexed
their heads,

135
i

per-

To answer and God's Grace departed from him, The world was filled with din, the Court deserted, None who desired renown stayed in his presence. For three and twenty years the empty portal Told of the crime that equalled him with God,
Brought on

How
"

and o'erturned the state. man of Grace and wisdom ? Great fears art serve God. King though thou
disaster

saith the seer, the

oppress

The heart that

is

Day darkened

to

devoid of thankfulness." Jamshid, he lost the Grace

That lighteneth the world, and though with tears Of blood he sought for pardon Grace was not, And dread of coming evil was his lot.

The Story of ZahJidk and

his

Father

One

of the desert spear-armed

Bedouins
V. 28

a virtuous king, and Just, highborn, generous, hight Mardas, Who sought his God with reverence and sighs,

Of noble birth then lived

kept a thousand head of all milch cattle, Goats, camels, sheep, and kine a gentle breed

He

With Arab

steeds, all timid beauties they,

'

And grudged the milk to none. He had a son Whom much he loved Zahhak, a gallant prince,
But hasty. People called him Biwarasp. " Ten thousand is " biwar in ancient Persian, And he possessed ten thousand Arab steeds With golden equipage a famous stud. Most of his days and nights he spent on horseback

136

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSf

Engaged in superintendence not in war. One day Iblis approached him as a friend And led his wits astray. The youth gave ear With pleasure and all unsuspectingly Gave to Iblis heart, reason, and pure soul,
I
'

And heaped And

the dust on his

own head.

Ibh's

Exulted seeing that the youth was snared

Thus saying

gulled the simpleton with specious words, " I could tell thee many things
:

Known
"

to

myself alone."

The youth made answer

V. 29

my worthy monitor " Iblls replied First promise, then my story. The guileless youth swore as Iblis dictated " Thy secret shall be kept, thy bidding done." Then said Iblis " Great prince shall any rule Here but thyself ? What profiteth a sire With such a son ? Now hearken to my rede
Tell
at once,
: !

me

"

1'

The

And

on his court His will suit thee, thou shalt be goods. place of the world if thou durst do King my bidding." Zarhhak looked grave to shed his sire's blood grieved him.
;

lifetime of this ancient potentate Continueth, thou art shelved. Seize

He

said

"
:

Not

so,

suggest some other course

"

This cannot be."

Then

thou," Ibh's rejoined,

"

Art perjured and wilt Thy father honoured."

still

be despicable,

Thus he snared the Arab,

Who
No

asked

Iblis

What must I do I will obey." " Leave me to scheme. replied Thy head
:

"

Shall touch the sun.

I only ask thy silence need I, myself am competent, help But keep the sword of speech within the scabbard."
;

JAMSH1D

137

Now
And

in the palace was a jocund garth, thither used Mardas to go at dawn

To bathe him ere he prayed, without a slave To light him on his way, The wicked Div, Intent on ill, dug in the garden-path A deep pit, masked and made it good with boughs. Ere dawn the Arab chieftain hied him thither
And, as he reached the pit, his fortunes fell That good man tumbled, broke his back, and died. He ne'er had breathed a cold breath on his son, But cherished him and lavished treasure on him, Yet that abandoned youth respected not His father, but conspired to shed his blood. " I heard a sage once say Though fierce in strife
; :

V. 30

No
If

son will dare to take his father's

life

such a crime should seem to be implied, Seek for the reason on the mother's side." Vile and unjust Zahhak thus seized the throne, Assumed the Arabs' crown and governed them For good or ill. Iblis encouraged thus " Since tfhou hast turned Began again and said
:

To me, and gained thy heart's desire, come pledge me Thy word once more to do as I require
;

And

then thy realm shall spread throughout the world, Birds, beasts, and fishes shall be all thine own."

When this was said he set about to use, Most marvellous another kind of ruse.
!

How
Then
Iblis

Iblis turned

Cook
v. 31

as a

went

youth well spoken, clean, and clever, to Zahhak with fawning words,

138
"

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUS1

Let me," he said, " who am a noted cook, Find favour with the king."

By

appetite

Seduced, Zahhak received and welcomed him, So that the monarch's faithful minister

Gave

to Iblis the royal kitchen's key.

Foods then were few, men did not kill to eat But lived on vegetals of all earth's produce So evil-doing Ahriman designed To slaughter animals for food, and served Both bird and beast. He fed the king on blood To make him lion-fierce, and like a slave Obeyed him. First he fed his lord on yelk To make him strong he liked the flavour much
;
;

And

Illustrious monarch praised Iblis, who said To-morrow I will serve thee For ever live
:
!

"

So as

to please thee well."

All night he

mused

What strange repast to proffer on the morrow, And when the azure vault brought back again

V. 32

Gem he hopefully presented meal of partridges and silver pheasants. The Arab monarch ate and his small wits
The golden

Were

the third day and on the fourth fowl, A chine of veal with saffron and rosewater, Musk and old wine. Zahhak when he had tasted, In wonder at his cook's ability,
lost in admiration.

On

Iblis served

lamb and

Said

"
:

Worthy
:

friend
"

ask thou

my my

recompense."

He

answered
is

Live,

king

in wealth

and power.
;
:

My

heart

thine, thy favour

my
face

soul's food

Yet would

ask one boon above

station

'Tis leave to kiss

and lay

my

and eyes

Upon

thy shoulders."
"
:

Replied

grant

it

it

Off his guard Zahhak may do thee grace."

JAMSHID
Iblis received permission, kissed

139

and vanished. from the monarch's shoulders Grew two black snakes. Distraught he sought a cure And in the end excised them, but they grew Again oh strange like branches from a tree.

A marvel followed

The

ablest leeches gave advice in turn And used their curious arts but all in vain.

himself came hurrying " This was thy destiny," Dight as a leech. " He said cut not the snakes but let them

At length
;

Iblis

live.

Give them men's brains and gorge them till they sleep, It is the only means, such food may kill them."
of the foul Div shrewdly scan conceived perchance a secret plan To rid the world of all the race of man ?

v. 33

The purpose

Had he

How

the Fortunes of

JamsMd

went to Wrack

Thereafter tumult, combating and strife Arose throughout Iran, the bright day gloomed

And men renounced Jainshid, who when his Grace Was darkened turned to folly and perverseness.
Pretenders started up, on every march The disaffected nobles levied troops

And

strove.

Some

set forth for Arabia,

"
:

For they had heard

There

is

a monarch there

An

awe-inspiring king of dragon-visage." Thus all the discontented cavaliers

Went

Zahhak and offered fealty, Saluting him as monarch of Iran. The king of dragon-visage came like wind
to

And donned
The bravest

of Arabia

the Iranian crown, collected troops and /ran

140

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDA USt

And having

34

seized the throne of Shah Jamshid on the world as 'twere a finger-ring. Slipped Thus fell Jamshid. Pressed by the world's new lord He fled, surrendering crown, throne and treasure, Host, power and diadem. The world turned black To him, he disappeared and yielded all. He was in hiding for a century, But in the hundredth year the impious Shah Appeared one day beside the sea of Chin.
respite,

Zahhak clutched him forthwith, gave him small And sawing him asunder freed the world From him and from the fear that he inspired.
Long was he hidden from the Dragon's But there was no escaping in the end,
breath,

For fortune whirled him like a yellow straw And both his throne and greatness passed away. What better Shah was ever on the throne, And yet what profit could he call his own From all his toils ? His seven centuries Brought him great blessings and calamities. What need hast thou then for a length of years ?
its secrets though for food and honeycomb, and rude Ungentle voices banish from thine ears. Wilt thou then say " Its love is spent on me,

The world

will

keep

It give thee sweets

In every look affection is expressed Wilt thou confide therein caressingly

"

And

tell it all

'Twill play with thee a pretty

the secrets of thy breast ? game indeed

:

Anon, and cause thy wretched heart to bleed. My heart is weary of this Wayside Inn O God release me soon from toil therein.
!

ZAHHiK
HE REIGNED A THOUSAND YEARS
ARGUMENT
With the
where.
accession of
practises

He

human

sacrifice.

He

Zahhak evil becomes triumphant everyand encourages black arts, idolatry, and has a warning dream concerning his destined

conqueror Faridun, whom he strives in vain to capture. At length the people, driven to exasperation by Zahhak, revolt to Faridun at the instigation of Kawa the smith. Faridun and Zahhak meet, and the latter is taken prisoner.

NOTE
Zahhak, as we have already seen, was originally an evil spirit of the Indo-Iranian nature-worship. In the Zandavasta he still occa" Zarathustra sionally appears in his character of water-stealer. " asked Ardvi Sura Anahita (Anaitis, the good genius of the
1

O Ardvi Sura Anahita With what manner of sacrifice worship thee ? ... So that Mazda (Urmuzd) may make thee run down (to the earth), so that he may not make thee run up into the heavens, above the sun and that the Serpent may " not injure thee.' 2 More generally, however, he is represented as a fiend, created by Ahriman to vex the Iranian race, and carry off the light of sovereignty while in the Shahnama he loses to a great extent his 3 supernatural character, and is, as already has been pointed out, the protagonist of the Semitic race in their dealings with the
'

"

waters):
shall I

Introd.

2 p. 7.

DZA,

ii.

74.

Introd. p. 54.

142

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

people of Iran. He is accordingly represented as a native of Arabia, to have invaded Iran, and to have had his capital at a city which is perhaps best identified with Babylon. We read in the " To her did Azi Dahaka (Zahhak), the Zandavasta (i.e. Anaitis) three-mouthed, offer up a sacrifice in the land of Bawri, with a hundred male horses, a thousand oxen, and ten thousand lambs.
:

Grant me this boon, most beneficent Ardvi Sura Anahita that I may make

He begged

of her a boon, saying

'

all

good, the

Ardvi Sura seven Karshvares (Climes) of the earth empty of men. Anahita did not grant him that boon. ... To her did Thraetaona (Faridiin), the heir of the valiant Athwya clan, offer up a sacrifice ' Grant me this, O good, most beneficent Ardvi Sura saying Anahita that I may overcome Azi Dahaka, the three-mouthed, the that demon, baleful to the world three-headed, the six-eyed that Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle and that I may deliver
. .
.

wonderful creatures in the world.' " l Zahhak's palace is called in the Zandavasta Kvirinta, which may mean in the A vasta language "a stork." There is a legend that the palace was in the form of that bird. 2 We learn from the Dinkard that the legend of Zahhak was contained in the Xitradarf and S&dkar Nasks of the Zandavasta. The latter Nask contained information " About the smiting by
Fredun, for the sake of killing Dahak the striking of his club of the neck, the heart, and even the skull and Dahak's not dying from that beating. Then smiting him with a sword, and the formation of noxious creatures of many kinds, from the body of Dahak, at the first, second, and third blow. The exclamation of the creator Auharmazd to Frcdun thus ' Thou shouldst not cut him who is Dahak, because if thou shouldst cut him, Dahak would be making this earth full of serpents, toads, with the mode of binding scorpions, lizards, tortoises, and frogs him with awful fetters, in the most grievous punishment of confinement. This, too, that when Az-i Dahak was bound, the report of the same proceeded thus through all the regions, which are seven, that downstricken is Az-i Dahak, but he who smote him and those is FretMn the Aspikan, the exalted and mighty which are evil do not mention Az, nor demand the virtuous maiden with importunity, nor even coveted wealth. This, too, that when information came to him of women or property, that
;

two wives, Savanghava/f (Shahrinaz) and Erenava& (Arnawaz), who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most
his

upon the nape

'

DZA,

ii.

60-62 and notes.

Id. 253

and

note.

ZAHHAK

143

seemed to him desirable to possess, they were then admitted by him into a golden cage." l Zahhak is looked upon in the Shahnama as exemplifying in his

own person
with
is

the chief characteristics of the non-Aryan peoples the Iranians came in contact idolatry, black arts, serpent-worship, and human sacrifice. It is a remarkable fact, as
all

whom

1 pointed out by Fergusson, that serpent-worship seems always

to have been accompanied by human sacrifice. He also appears to consider that the former was essentially Turanian, not Aryan

or Semitic, and he points out that in the bas-relief at Nakhs-iRustam, in which Urmuzd is represented as bestowing the crown

on Ardshlr Papakan, the first Shah of the Sasanian dynasty, the god is seated on a horse, and beneath his feet lies Ardawan, the last king of the Parthian dynasty, with two serpents round his
head. 2

In the Shahnama, however, Zahhak is essentially Semitic, and his reign of a thousand years may be taken as typifying that race in their relations to the Iranians from the earliest traditions of Assyrian oppression to the political overlordship of the

Khalifas of Baghdad in the poet's own days. The reader will notice that Zahhak is not slain by Faridun but imprisoned a point indicative of his supernatural character and
;

also that the legend of

Kawa

the smith

is,

as one

would naturally
with

expect, a

West Iranian

tradition, as

shown by

its association

the city of Ispahan. The historical flag of the Persian empire, known as the flag of Kawa, the traditional origin of which will be found in the text, fell into the hands of the Muhammadans at the battle of Kadisiyya, A.D. 637. The natives of the town of Damawand, situated on the south side of the mountain of that

name,

" celebrate a feast, called Id-i-Kurdi," or the Kurds' 3 the death to commemorate of Zahhak, while a cyclopean Holiday, terrace in the neighbourhood is pointed out as the place where,
still

in accord to Eastern usage, his

drums were beaten at dawn. 4 Zahhak's minister, Kundrav, has had a strange eventful mythoIn the Vedas he appears as Gandhava, the divine logical history. guardian of the Soma the sacred drink-offering, the Homa of Iran. In the Zandavasta he is a monstrous fiend or monster known as Gandarewa or Gandarep, the slaying of whom was one
1

WPT,

iv.

27, 214.
p. 3,

2
3

"Tree and Serpent Worship,"

Id. pp. 42-44.

2nd

ed. 1873.

4
5

Morier,

"

Second Journey through Persia,"

p. 357.

GHP,

i.

31.

144

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

the ancient Iranian hero Garshasp. 1 In the

of the great feats of

Shahnama he is represented as a human being the factotum The two are a good illustration of the relationship of Zahhak.
that exists between Indian and Iranian mythology, between the Vedas and the Zandavasta, and of the genesis of the legends of the Shahnama. Some readers may like to see the version of the legend of Zahhak as given in the Armenian History attributed to Moses of Chorene, which though subsequent to his time is probably centuries anterior to the Shahnama, and shows that the legend was known in all its essential features long before Firdausi's It runs thus in Whiston's Latin version of the original days.
:

sunt voluptati viles ac vanae de Byraspe ' Astyage fabulae ? aut cur nobis ineptos atque insulsos, ac rationis expertes Persarum sermones, laborem imponis explicandi, nempe de primo ejus benefacto malefico, Daemoniisque ei ministrantibus, utque errorem & falsitatem frustrari non potuerit, ac super humerorum osculatione, unde Draconum ortus fuit, ac deinde

"Quid autem

tibi

flagitii

frequentia homines per ventris usum perdidit utque Rhodanes 3 quidem postea catenis eum aeneis constrinxerit, atque in montem, qui vocatur Dembavendus, abduxerit ... is qui scelera machinabatur, domi eum forisque sine suspicione erudire
;

solebat, in Byraspis humeris caput reponens, ac maleficas artes in aurem inculcans, unde in fabulis narrant, puerum Satanae, ministrum ei fuisse, ej usque voluntati obsecundasse utque etiam
;

praemium ab eo postulans, humeros ejus oscuCaeterum quod narrant, Dracones pullulasse, sive ipsum laretur. Byraspem in Draconen prorsus mutatum fuisse, ita res se habet.
subinde, quasi

Quippe cum immanem hominum numerum Daemoniis ille immolare coepisset, indignabunda multitude ab eo tandem abalienata fuit, isque igitur communi omnium consensu pulsus, ad montem supra

memoratum confugit.

Ibi,

cum acrius premeretur,

sua

eum caterva

deseruit, qua re confisi, qui eum persecuti erant, dies aliquot in At Byraspes, cohortem dispersam cogens, ad iis locis residerunt. inopinantes impetum facit (sic) magmimque attulit detrimentum ;

sed vicit tandem multitude,

&

quern comprehensum prope

eum montem

Byraspes se in fugam contulit, peremerunt, atque in

magnam

4 sulphuris foveam conjecerunt." For the mythological account of Abtin, the father of Faridiin, His legend up see the introductory note to the next reign.

2 4

See Introd.

See introductory note to the next reign. 3 I.e. Faridun. p. 72. Mosis Chorenensis, ed. Whiston, 77-80.

ZAHHAK
it is

145

to the point where taken up in the Shahnama may be briefly summarised as follows. He was the head of a family of Persian

landowners or thanes who dwelt in the Alburz range to the south of the Caspian and claimed to be descended from Jamshid. He began the war of independence against Zahhak, but after some success was forced to take refuge with the remnant of his adherents at the court of the king of Ghilan, who received him kindly, but, fearing the vengeance of Zahhak, subsequently furnished him with ships and provisions, and dismissed him to After a month's voyage on the seek his fortune elsewhere. Caspian Abtin arrived at the court of the king of the Scythians, whose daughter Faranak fell in love with him. Incidents similar to those in the story of Zal and Rudaba in the present volume followed. In the end Abtin married Faranak, by whom he had two sons, and lived happily and in high favour with his fatherin-law. He could not rest, however. In dream after dream he was incited to resume the war of independence against Zahhak, and at length, in spite of the opposition of his father-in-law, set sail with wife, family, and adherents, and after various adventures landed near Amul in Mazandaran, where he made his home in the surrounding forests. Here he gathered a band of followers and resumed his guerilla warfare against Zahhak, in the midst of which Faridiin was born, the birth being heralded by many At this point the Shahnama takes up the story. 1 prodigies.

The Evil Customs of Zahhak and the Device of Irrnd'il and Karmd'il

Zahhak

sat

on the throne a thousand years

all

V. 35

Through Obeyed by The customs of the wise were out of vogue, The lusts of madmen flourished everywhere, All virtue was despised, black art esteemed,
Right
lost to sight, disaster manifest
;

the world.

that long time

While divs accomplished their fell purposes And no man spake of good unless by stealth.
1

The above

is

summarised from GHP,

i.

171, 211, &c.

146

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA USt

Two sisters of Jainshid, their sex's crown, Were brought out trembling like a willow-leaf. Of those two ladies visaged like the moon
The names were Shahrinaz and Arnawaz. Men bore them to the palace of Zahhak And gave them over to the dragon king, Who educated them in evil ways And taught them sorcery and necromancy. The only teaching that he knew was bad To massacre, to pillage, and to burn. Each night two youths of high or lowly birth

Were taken

to the palace

by the cook,
their brains

Who
Now

having slaughtered them took out

To feed the snakes and

ease the monarch's anguish. in the realm were two good high-born Persians

The pious Irma'il and Karrna'il The prescient. Talking of the lawless Shah,
Of
his retainers
"
:

and those hideous meals,

V. 36

One said By cookery we might approach The Shah, and by our wits devise a scheme To rescue one from each pair doomed to death." They went and learned that art. The clever twain Became the monarch's cooks and joyed in secret. The time for shedding blood and taking life Came, and some murderous minions of the Shah
Dragged
to the cooks with violence

two youths
cooks

And

flung them, prone.

The

livers of the

Ached, their eyes filled with blood, their hearts with wrath, And each glanced at the other as he thought

Of such an outrage by the Shah. They slew One of the youths and thought it best to mingle His precious brains with sheep's and spare the other, To whom they said " Make shift to hide thyself,
:

Approach not any dwelling-place of man, Thine are the wastes and heights."

ZAHHAK

147

A worthless head Thus fed the serpents, and in every month The cooks preserved from slaughter thirty youths. And when the number reached two hundred saved
Provided them, the donors
all

unknown,

With sheep and goats, and sent them desertward. Thus sprang the Kurds, who know no settled home,
But dwell
in woollen tents

and

fear not

God.

Zahhak was wont, such was his evil nature, To choose him one among his warriors And slay him for conspiring with the divs.
Moreover, all the lovely noble maidens Secluded in their bowers, not tanged of tongues, He took for handmaids. Not a jot had he

V. 37

Of faith,

king's uses, or morality.

How Zahhak

saw Faridtin in a Dream

Observe God's dealings with Zahhak when he

Had forty years to live. One longsome He slumbered in the arms of Arnawaz, And saw a vision of three warriors
Boughs
of the tree of kings.

night

The youngest

one,

Who

held the middle place, was cypress tall, In face, in armour, and in mien a king. He rushed with ox-head mace to fight Zahhak,

Smote him upon the head, stripped off' his skin, And used it as a rope to bind his hands Firm as a rock, 1 placed on his neck a yoke, Then casting earth and dust upon his head
1 Cf. Keresdspa's account of his treatment of Gandarep. ductory note to Faridun.

See intro-

148

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSt

in

Dragged him before the crowd Toward Mount Damawand.

:

shame and anguish

:

The tyrant writhed Thou wouldst have said " His liver split with fright." He yelled. The palace of the hundred columns
Shook, and the sun-faced ladies
left their
!

couches,
it
?

While Arnawaz said

Confide in
!

to

him

"
:

Shah

what was

me thou wast asleep in peace At home What saw'st thou ? Say what came to thee ? The world is at thy will, beast, div, and man
;

V. 38

Watch

o'er

thee and the seven climes are thine

All 'twixt the

moon and
!

Fish. 1
!

What made thee start

me."
or else

master of the world

The

chief replied

"
:

Oh answer may not tell,

Ye
"

will despair

my

life."

Be pleased
cure,

to tell us

Then Arnawaz we perchance may

:

find

A
"

no

ill is

irremediable."
whit, then said the Fair
:

He

told

them every

not but seek a remedy. Neglect Thy throne's seat is the signet of the age, Thy famous fortune brighteneth the world,
it

With

Beneath thy finger-ring thou hast the earth all its fairies, divs, beasts, fowls, and men. Call both the archmages and astrologers The wisest of each realm and tell them all.
See
if

Is that of fairy, div, or

the hand that threateneth thy life man. This known

;

Act vigorously

quail not before thy foes."

The

lady's"

counsel pleased the Shah.

Night then

Was

dark as raven's plumes, but when at length The Lamp showed o'er the hills, and thou hadst said, " Strewed yellow gems upon the azure vault,"
1

See Introd.

p. 71.

ZAHHAK
Zahhak brought archimages shrewd of heart And told to them the dream that pierced his liver. He said " Expound this dream without delay,
:

149

V. 39

And make my soul a pathway toward the light." He asked them privily about the future, " What will be my latter end, Demanding And who succeed me ? Tell or hide your heads
:

In shame."

They talked together sad at heart, With parched lips and with sallow countenances " If we tell truly what is fated They said
:

We
And
As

shall be tortured,
if

haply lose our

lives

we do not
wash

well

act straightforwardly hands of life."

:

None dared to speak Their fortune was in jeopardy three days. Upon the fourth the Shah was wroth, exclaiming " Foretell the future or be hung alive."
:

They drooped

their heads,

their hearts were

rent,

their eyes Wept tears of blood.

Among them was

a man,

The
"

Wise, honest, prescient, by name^Zirak chief of all the band of archimages.

:

Concerned but fearless he addressed Zahhak Indulge no vapouring for none is born Except to die. There have been kings ere thee Both griefs and joys Fit for the throne of power. Enough they reckoned up yet their time came. an iron wall If thou wert standing there Yon heaven would grind thee, thou wouldst not endure. One will hereafter take thy throne and fling Thy fortune to the ground. His name is Faridun, And he will be a royal heaven to earth. As yet he is not born, thy time of woe Hath not arrived, but when his honoured mother Hath borne him he will be a fruitful tree.

V. 40

ISO

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

At man's estate his head will reach the moon And he will seek thy belt, crown, throne, and casque. In stature a tall cypress, he will shoulder A mace of steel, will smite thy head therewith

And drag
In bonds."

thee from the palace to the street

"

"

In vengeance
all

Why "
?

bind me," said the impious king,

"
:

Then Zirak
But
Will

Wert thou but wise

make

Thy hand

pretexts for injurious acts. will slay his father and that wrong
:

fill the son's brains with revengeful thoughts Besides the nurse of this young atheling The cow, Birmaya hight will perish too

By thy hand

so in

vengeance he

will

brandish

An

ox-head mace."

Zahhak heard

anxiously,

And swooned upon his throne. The noble archmage Turned him and fled away in dread of ill.
The Shah recovered and resumed
his seat.

He No

diligently sought throughout the world For traces faint or clear of Faridun
;

no slumber, or repose took he, His daylight turned to lapislazuli.

food,

S3
The Birth of Faridiin

Years passed away, calamity approached

The dragon-king,

the blessed Faridiin

Was

born, the fashion of the world was changed. Of cypress height he shone forth with the Grace

Of kings

of kings

which

erst

Jamshid possessed,

ZAHHAK
Was
like the sun, as needful as the rain
;

151

fit as knowledge to the mind him tenderly. loved heaven Revolving Then lived the cow Birmaya, chief of kine, Born with a coat all bright and peacock-hued. The wise, the archmages, and astrologers Collected round her none had seen or heard Of such a cow before. Meanwhile Zahhak Was searching everywhere, and filling earth With hue and cry, till Faridiin became

To earth and

V. 41

A source of danger to his sire Abtin, Who fled for life but to the Lion's toils,
For certain of the followers of Zahhak, That impious monarch, met Abtm one day, Seized him and bore him, like a cheetah bound,
Before the Shah,

who had him put

to death.

When

Faridiin's wise

mother Faranak,

A glorious dame
And came
Still "

devoted to her child,

;

Perceived her husband's evil fate she fled

heart-broken weeping to the

beautiful

field

Wherein the

Birmaya was.
:

shedding drops of blood she bade the hind Protect this suckling for me, be a father

To him, and give him milk of yon fair cow. Ask what thou wilt, e'en to my soul 'tis thine." The hind replied " I will perform thy bidding
:

And

be as 'twere a slave before thy child." Then Faranak resigned the babe to him, With all instructions that were requisite,

v. 42

And
The But

that wise guardian like a father fed

child for three years with Birmaya' s rnilk as Zahhak ne'er wearied of the search,
;

And as the cow was talked of everywhere, The mother hasted to the field again

152

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

And
"

spake thus to the guardian of her child prudent thought a thought inspired by

God-

Hath

risen in iny heart. What we must Is this there is no remedy, son

do

my

And my

dear

life

are one

must abandon

This land of sorcerers, depart unmarked To Hindustan and bear him to Alburz."

Then like a roe or one who rideth post She took the young child to that lofty mountain

Where dwelt
To whom she
That
this

a devotee dead to the world,

said
"
:

am,

A woeful woman
my

from

f ran.

holy one Know thou

!

noble son will be hereafter

The leader of his people, will discrown Zahhak and tread his girdle in the dust. Take thou this child and father him with care." The good man took her child and never breathed One cold breath on him. When the rumour reached Zahhak about the cow and field he went, Like some mad elephant, and slew Birmaya, With all the other cattle that he saw
Within the field, and harried all the land. He went next to the home of Faridun, Searched it, but all in vain, for none was found, And burned the lofty palace to the ground.

How
V. 43

Faridun questioned

his

Mother about

his Origin

Now
"

Faridun,

when

Sought out

his

twice eight years had passed, mother on the plain and said
:

Disclose thy secret, say

who

is

my

father,

ZAHHAK
What
lineage, whom shall I declare in Let me have the truth." Myself public ? She said " I will tell all, noble boy
is

153

my
:

my

Within Iran erewhile lived one Abtin,

Of royal

race, discerning

And

inoffensive,

mind, wise, brave, sprung from Tahinuras

; ;

Abtin knew all the pedigree. Thy sire And my dear spouse was he my days were dark When we were parted. Now Zahhak the warlock Stretched from fran his hand against thy life, But I concealed thee. Oh what woeful days
!

passed while that brave youth thy father forfeited His own sweet life for thee Now on Zahhak
I
!

The
The

warlock's

shoulders

grew

two

snakes

which

sucked

and thy sire's brains head to feed them. I In course of time came on an open pasture, As yet unknown to fame, and there beheld A cow like jocund spring, well shaped and coloured From head to foot before her sat her herd
life-breath of Iran,
his

Were taken from

Upon his heels as one before a king. I put thee in his charge. For long he nursed thee his the cow of peacock-hues breast, Upon
Supplying thee with milk that made thee thrive Like some bold crocodile, until the tidings Of cow and meadow reached the Shah, and then I bare thee from the pasture in all haste

v. 44

And

fled Iran

He came

and home and family. and slew the noble, tender nurse

That could not speak to thee, then sent the dust Up from our home and turned it to ditch." The prince, enraged thereat, mused on revenge, And said with aching heart and knitted brows " The lion groweth brave by venturing,
:

54

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA US1

And

since the sorcerer hath done his part Mine is to take my scimitar and lay His palace in the dust such is God's will." She said " This is not well thou canst not stand Alone against the world. He hath the crown And throne, and troops at his command, who come From all the realm to battle when he willeth, A hundred thousand strong. View not the world
;
:

With boyish

eyes

the laws of blood-revenge

Demand it not. Drunk with the wine of youth Men think themselves the only ones on earth And vapour, but be thy days mirth and joy. Do thou, my son bear this advice in mind,
!

Give

all

words save thy mother's to the wind."

The Story of Zahhdk and

Kdwa

the

Smith

Zahhak had
v. 45

his lips Both day and night, his lofty stature bent Beneath the terrors of his heart until

"

Faridiin

"

upon

One day, when sitting on the ivory throne And wearing on his head the turquoise crown, He called the notables from every province
To firm the bases And said to them
of his sovereignty,
"
:

Good, wise, illustrious

ill

men

I have, as sages wot, an enemy Concealed, and I through fear of

to

come

Despise not such though weak. I therefore need A larger host men, dfvs, and fairies too

And
'

ask your

aid, for

rumours trouble me
:

80 sign

me now

a scroll to this effect

Our monarch soweth naught but

He

seeds of good, " ever speaketh truth and wrongeth none.'

ZAHHAK
Those upright

155

men both young and

old subscribed

Their names upon the Dragon's document, Against their wills, because they feared the Shah.

The

Just then was heard outside the palace-gate voice of one that clamoured for redress.
called

They
:

him

in before the

Shah and

set

him

Among the paladins. Zahhak in dudgeon Said " Tell us who hath wronged thee."
Then the man
Smote on " Shah
his
!

head before the Shah and my name is Kawa and I sue

cried

For justice.

Do me

right.

come
;

in haste

Accusing thee in bitterness of soul An act of justice will enhance thy greatness. I have had many an outrage at thy hands, For thou hast stabbed my heart unceasingly,

v. 46

And

the outrages had not thy sanction hath Why my son been taken ? I had once In this world eighteen sons but one is left Look on me this once Have mercy My liver
if
:

What is mine offence, burning O Shah ? Oh, say If I have not offended Seek not occasion 'gainst the innocent, Regard my plight and save thyself from woe. My back is bent with length of years, despair
Is ever
!
!

Hath

my head is all distraught, children are no more, My youth gone, my And children are the nearest kin on earth.
seized

my

heart,

is

Oppression hath a middle and an end,

And

pretext ever.

Tell

me what

is

thine

For wronging me and ruining my life. A smith am I, an inoffensive man, Upon whose head the Shah is pouring fire, And thou art he, and, though of dragon-form, Must still do justice in this cause of mine.

156

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

?

Since thou dost rule the seven provinces Why should the toil and hardship all be ours We have accounts to settle thou and I

And
That

all will

this

be aghast if they shall show my son hath perished in his turn

With all the rest to feed those snakes of thine." The monarch listened and was sore amazed.
They set the young man free and strove to win The father by fair words, but when Zahhak Bade him subscribe the scroll he read it through

And
v. 47

shouted to the ancients of the realm

"

Confederates of the Div with impious hearts Ye set your faces hellward and have yielded

To that man's bidding. I will not subscribe, Or ever give the Shah another thought."

He shouted, rose in fury, rent the scroll And trampled it then with his noble son
;

In front of him went raving to the street. But all the courtiers blessed the Shah and said
"

Illustrious king of earth

may

no cold blast

From heaven

Why

pass o'er thee on the day of battle. was this insolent Kawa countenanced
a friend of thine
?

As though

He

tore the scroll,

Refusing to obey thee,

!

\^'

gone Bent on revenge and leagued, as thou wouldst say, A viler deed than this With Faridiin We never saw and marvel such should be." He answered quickly " I will tell you wonders. When Kawa entered and I heard his cries, A mount of iron seemed to rise betwixt us And when he beat his head a strange sensation Convulsed me. How 'twill end I cannot tell
:

and

is

The

secrets of the sky are

left

known

to none."

When Kawa

the presence of the Shah, crowd assembled in the market-place.

ZAHHAK
And still he shouted, crying out for aid And urging all to stand upon their rights. He took a leathern apron, such as smiths Wear to protect their legs while at the forge,
Stuck

157

upon a spear's point and forthwith Throughout the market dust began to rise. He passed along with spear in hand exclaiming
it

"

Ye men

Whoe'er
Let him

worshippers of God would 'scape the fetters of Zahhak resort with me to Faridun
of
!

name

Ye

v. 48

And shadow
The

in his Grace.
is

Come ye
God's

to

him

ruler here

Ahriman

foe."
it

So that poor leather, worthless as Discriminated friends and enemies. He took the lead, and many valiant
Resorted to him
;

was,

men

To Faridun.

he rebelled and went When he arrived shouts rose.

He

entered the new prince's court, who marked The apron on the spear and hailed the omen. He decked the apron with brocade of Hiim Of jewelled patterns on a golden ground,

Placed on the spearpoint a

full

moon

a token

Portending gloriously and having draped it With yellow, red, and violet, he named it The Kawian flag. Thenceforth when any Shah Acceded to the throne, and donned the crown,

He hung the worthless apron of the smith With still more jewels, sumptuous brocade,
And
painted silk of Chin.
It

thus

fell

out

That Kawa's standard grew to be a sun Amid the gloom of night, and cheered all hearts. Time passed and still the world maintained its When Faridun saw matters thus, and all men Submiss to vile Zahhak, he came to Faranak With girded loins, crowned with a royal casque,

secret.

158

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

said
"
:

V. 49

I go to battle, but do thou Devote thyself to prayer. The Maker ruleth. In weal and woe alike clasp hands to Him." With tears and bleeding heart she cried " God My trust hath been in Thee. Turn from my son The onslaughts of the wicked on his life, And rid the world of these infatuates." Then Faridun gat ready with despatch And secrecy. He had two brothers, both Of noble birth and older than himself, Hight Kaiiimish and prosperous Purmaya.
:

And

He

said to

them

"
:

Live, gallant hearts

in joy.
;

Revolving heaven bringeth naught but good The crown of power is coming back to us. Provide me cunning smiths and let them make A massive mace."

me

They sought the

In haste, whence
all

smiths' bazar

the aspiring craftsmen went

To Faridun, who taking compasses Showed to the smiths the pattern, tracing it Upon the ground. It had a buffalo's head. They took the work in hand, and having wrought A massive mace they bore it to the hero.
shone as brightly as the noonday sun, Faridun, approving of the work, Bestowed upon the makers raiment, gold,
It

And

And

silver, holding out to them beside Bright hopes and promise of advancement, saying " If I shall lay the Dragon in the dust

I will

not leave the dust upon your heads,

entire world, since I

But justify the

Have Him

in

mind who judgeth

righteously."

ZAHHAK

159

How Faridun
With head

went to Battle with Zahhdk

raised o'er the sun he girt his loins For vengeance for his father, and set forth Upon the day Khurdad right joyfully With favouring stars and splendid auguries. The troops assembled at his gate, his throne

Was

lifted to

the clouds.

The

first to

go
v. 50

Were baggage and provisions for the army On buffaloes and high-necked elephants.
Purrnaya rode with Kaiamish beside The Shah, like younger brothers and true friends. He went like wind from stage to stage revenge Was in his head and justice in his heart. The warriors on their Arab chargers reached A spot where people dwelt who worshipped God, And Faridun dismounting greeted them. When night was darkening one in friendly guise Approached him, walking with a measured tread,
;

With musky

And
It

hair descending to the feet favoured like a maid of Paradise.

Suriish,

was

who came thence

ill,

to advise

The king

of good and

came

like a fairy

And

taught him privily the magic art, That he might know the key of every lock

And by

his spells bring hidden things to light

While Faridun, perceiving that the work Was God's not Ahriman's or come of evil, Flushed like a cercis-bloom and joyed to see How lusty he and his young fortune were. The cooks prepared a feast a noble banquet, One fit for mighty men. Now Faridun, The drinking done, being heavy sought repose.

160

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

And

His brothers, seeing that God sped his cause. that his fortune slumbered not, departed

Without delay to compass his destruction. There was above their heads a lofty cliff' And underneath the Shah slept peacefully. His two abandoned brothers scaled the height That night unseen, and scrupling at no crime Set loose a mighty crag upon the brow To fall directly on their brother's head,
v. 5
1

And

kill

him

in his sleep.

The crashing
'

crag,

For God so ordered, roused the slumber.er, Who by his magic art arrested it In mid career it stopped dead. Faridun Went on his way but kept the matter secret. In front marched Kawa with the Kawian standard, Soon to become the ensign of the realm. Thus Faridun advanced, as one who sought A diadem, toward the Arwand, or call it, As Arabs do, the Dijla, if thou knowest not The ancient tongue. He marched another stage
:

And came upon the Dijla, at Baghdad. On drawing near he sent to greet the guard And said " Despatch to this side instantly Your boats and vessels, bear me across with
:

all

Mine army and let none be left behind." The river-guard sent not his boats nor came At Faridun's behest, but made reply " The Shah gave privy orders Launch no boat " Without a passport under mine own seal.' The prince, enraged and fearless of the stream, Girt like a king and bent upon revenge,
:

'

v. 52

Plunged with his rose-red charger in the flood, With one accord his comrades girt themselves, Turned toward the stream, and on their brave,
steeds

fleet

ZAHHAK
Plunged over saddle-back. The warriors' heads Reeled while their swift steeds struggled with the And with their necks emerging seemed to be
of a dream. The warriors Reached the dry land undamped in their revenge And set their faces toward Bait al Mukaddas.

161

tide,

The phantom cohort

when they used the ancient tongue Gang-i-Dizhukht to-day 'tis known among The Arabs as " The Holy Place." The fair Tall palace of Zahhak was builded there.
This
called
;

men

When

And Faridun beheld He saw a pile whose

they approached the city that they sought, it a mile off,

building towered o'er Saturn,
"
!

So that thou wouldst have said " 'Twill catch the stars It shone like Jupiter in heaven the place Appeared all peace and love and happiness.
: ;

The hero recognised that

:

seat of

power

And springlike beauty as the Dragon's dwelling, And said " The man who reared a pile like that From dust I fear me cottoneth with the world,
But
better to press on than tarry." This said he grasped his massive mace and gave His fleet steed rein, and thou hadst said " flame
still 'tis
:

Shot up before the guards."

He

entered riding

v. 53

An

inexperienced but valiant youth,

called

Who

upon the name

fled

of

God

while they

That were on guard

from him in dismay.

How

Faridun saw

the Sisters of

Jamshid

Then Faridun o'erthrew the

talisman,

Raised heaven-high by Zahhak, because he saw That it was not of God, with massive mace L

162

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USf

Laid low the sorcerers within the palace All fierce and notable divs and set himself Upon the enchanter's throne. This done he took Possession of the royal crown and palace, But though he searched he failed to find Zahhak. Then from the women's bower he brought two Idols Sun-faced, dark-eyed he had them bathed, he purged The darkness of their minds by teaching them
;
,

of God and made them wholly clean For idol-worshippers had brought them up And they were dazed in mind like drunken folk. Then while the tears from their bright eyes bedewed Their rosy cheeks those sisters of Jamshid Said thus to Faridun " Mayst thou be young Till earth is old What star was this of thine,

The way

favoured one

What

tree bore thee as fruit,

Who venturest
So

inside the Lion's lair

hardily, thou

What
V. 54
!

mighty man of valour ? and what bale have we endured anguish

All through this dragon-shouldered Oh what a miserable world for us

!

Ahriman

Did this infatuated sorcerer make Yet saw we never here a man so hardy, Bold, and ambitious as to think that he Could take the throne." He answered " Throne and fortune Abide with none. My sire was fortune's favourite, But still Zahhak seized on him in f ran And slew him cruelly, so I have set
:

against Zahhak's throne in revenge. He slew the cow Birmaya too my nurse, very gem of beauty. What could he,

My face

A
1

That

villain,

gain by slaughtering that

;

dumb

beast

Now

am ready and

came not from

I purpose war Iran to bring him pardon,

ZAHHAK
Or good
will,

163

With

this

but to brain him in revenge ox-headed mace."

When Arnawaz Heard this she guessed the secret, and replied " Then thou art Faridun the Shah and wilt Abolish necromacy and black art, For thou art fated to destroy Zahhak The binding of thy loins will loose the world. We twain, pure, modest, and of royal seed,
:

Submitted only through the fear of death, Else would we ever sleep or wake, king
Beside a serpent-spouse
" "
?

Then Faridun heaven over us shall do me right I will cut off this Dragon from the earth, And purge the world of its impurity. Now speak the truth at once and tell me where That vile one is." Those fair dames told him all " The Dragon's head will meet the They thought
:

If

shears,"

And said " He went to Hindustan to practise Some spell-work in that land of sorcerers. He will cut off a thousand innocent heads,
:

V. 55

For he is terror-struck at evil fortune, Because a seer hath said Earth will be void Of thee, for Faridun will seize thy throne And thy prosperity wither in a moment.' Struck by the words his heart is all aflame, And life affbrdeth him no happiness. Now is he slaughtering beasts and men
' :

and

women To make a bath

That prophecy.

and thus defeat Those serpents on his shoulders Keep him in long and sore disquietude.
of blood

64

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

From clime to clime he roveth, for the snakes Give him no rest. 'Tis time for his return,
But place there
is

not."

Stricken to the heart

That lovely pair revealed the mystery

The exalted

chieftain listened eagerly.

The Story of Faridun and

the Minister of

Zahhdk

Zahhak while absent left in charge of all A man of wealth, who served him like a
So that his master marvelled
at his zeal,

slave,

One named Kundrav, because he used to limp 1 Before the unjust king. He came in haste

And saw

within the hall a stranger crowned, Reposing on the throne, in person like

A cypress
The

over which the full moon shineth, On one side Shahrinaz the cypress-slim, Upon the other moon-faced Arnawaz.
city swarmed with soldiers, and a guard Stood ready armed before the palace-gate. All undismayed, not asking what it meant, Kundrav approached with lowly reverence, Then offered homage, saying " Live, O king While time shall last. Blest be thy sitting here In Grace, for thou deservest sovereignty. The seven climes be thine and be thy head
: !

V. 56

Above the

rain-clouds."

Being bid approach

He

told the

Shah the
:

secrets of his office

"

And was commanded

Let wine be brought,
1

Serve a royal
fit

feast,

call minstrels
relied upon.

to hear,

Firdausi's etymology

must not be

See the introduc-

tory note to this reign.

ZAHHAK
To cheer me
at the banquet, fill the goblet, out the board, and summon worthy guests." Spread

165

Kundrav obeyed and brought bright wine and minstrels,

And

noble guests whose birth entitled them. So Faridun quaffed wine and chose the lays And held that night a worthy festival.

Kundrav

And on

king of chiefs the token of thy fall Hath come, three men of noble mien arrived With troops the youngest of the three, in height A cypress and a king in face, is placed Between the other two and hath precedence.
!

He " O

at dawn left the new prince in haste a swift steed sought Zahhak. Arrived told the things that he had seen and heard
:

His mace

is

like a

mountain-crag and shineth

Amid the host. He entered thine abode On horseback, and the others rode with him A noble pair. He went and sat upon
The royal throne and broke thy charms and As for the di'vs and warriors in thy palace
spells.

He struck their heads off as he And mingled brains and blood

"

rode along
"
!

V. 57

Zahhak
'Tis well, guests
"
:

replied

should enjoy themselves."

that hath an ox-head

Retorted

One

Kundrav mace
!

Beware of such in coining and in going Besides, he sitteth boldly on thy couch, Eraseth from the crown and belt thy name,
;

And maketh

own If such a guest thou knowest know him such." Zahhak said " Trouble not, it bodeth well
thine ungrateful folk his
:
:

When
"

guests are at their ease."

Kundrav
Yea, I have heard so
;

replied
:

hear thou

my rejoinder

166

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

man
?

be any guest of thine What business hath he in thy women's bower He sitteth with the sisters of Jamshid
If this great

The

Is toying

worldlord, taking counsel, while this with the cheek of Shahrinaz

hand

And

that with Arnawaz' carnelian

still
!

lip.

At night he doth

worse and pilloweth

locks of

Who

His head on nmsk ever were the

What musk ? The

idols of

Moons

thy heart."

With

Zahhak, wolf-savage, wished that he were dead. foul abuse he sternly hoarsely threatened That luckless one " No more shalt thou have charge Of any house of mine."
:

Kundrav
"
!

replied

Henceforth, king I deem thy fortune shent. How shouldst thou make me ruler in the city,

Or give me even minstrels' work, when thou Hast lost the throne of power ? For like a hair

From dough
Of
V. 58

hast thou departed from the throne Think, sire what thou wilt do. sovereignty. Have thine own interests no concern for thee ?
!

They

ne'er before were in such jeopardy."

How

Faridun bound Zahhdh

Roused by that talk Zahhak resolved to act, And bade his keen-eyed roadsters to be saddled. Now as he neared the city by a byway With valiant divs and warriors, and saw His palace-roofs and gate he vowed revenge. The troops of Faridun received the tidings And flocked to meet him. Leaping from their steeds They struggled hand to hand. The citizens,

ZAHHAK
Such
;

167

as were warlike, manned the roofs and gates For Faridiin Zahhak had maddened them. Bricks from the walls, stones from the roofs, with swords And poplar arrows in the street, were plied As thick as hail no place was left to stand. The mountains echoed with the chieftains' shouts, Earth trembled neath the chargers' tramping hoofs, A cloud of black dust gathered, and the flints
;

Were pierced by javelins. From the Fane of Fire One shouted " If some wild beast had been Shah, We young and old had served him loyally, But not that foul Zahhak with dragon-shoulders."
:

The warriors and citizens were blent Together as they fought a mass of men. O'er that bright city rose a cloud of dust That turned the sun to lapislazuli.
alone in jealous fear the Approached palace, mailed, that none might him.

Anon Zahhak

V. 59

know

Armed with a lasso sixty cubits long He scaled the lofty edifice in haste And saw beneath him dark-eyed Shahrinaz,

Who

toyed bewitchingly with Faridiin.

like night,

Her cheeks were like the day, her locks Her lips were opened to revile Zahhak,

Who recognised therein the act of God A clutch of evil not to be evaded
And with
his brain inflamed by jealousy one end of the lasso to the court Dropped And so slid down from that high roof, regardless

Of throne and precious life. As he descended He drew a keen-edged poniard from its sheath,
Told not his purpose or his name, but clutched The steel-blue dagger in his hand, athirst For blood the blood of those two beauteous dames.

168

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

feet

His

no sooner rested on the ground

Than Faridun rushed on him like the wind And beat his helm in with the ox-head mace. " Strike not," cried blest Surush, who hurried
"

thither,

His time hath not yet come, but bind him vanquished Firm as a rock and bear him to some gorge, Where friends and kinsmen will not come to him." When Faridun heard that he tarried not, But gat a lasso made of lion's hide And bound Zahhak around the arms and waist With bonds that no huge elephant could snap, Then sitting on Zahhak's own golden throne Determined all the evil usages

And made a proclamation at the gate " Ye citizens possessed of Grace and wisdom
:

V. 6o

Disarm and follow but one path to fame, For citizens and soldiers may not seek

A common
And
And,
if

excellence

this

hath his

craft

that his

their spheres are evident earth will be so too. confounded,

;

mace

Depart

And Whose acts brought terror on the world, is bound." Men hearkened to the great redoubted Shah.
Then all the leading, wealthy citizens Drew near with gladness bringing offerings

rejoicing, each one to his work, live and prosper long, because the foul one,

And

heartily accepted Faridun,

Who
And
Then

Gave each
said

graciously received them and discreetly his rank's due, counselled them at large,
"
:

offered

up his prayers and thanks to God, The realm is mine, your fortune's

star

Is bright, for

me

alone did

God send

forth

From Mount Alburz by

To
set the

Grace, and for your sakes, world free from the Dragon's bane.

ZAHHAK
by Him who giveth good walk toward good upon His paths. ought As king I may not tarry in one place, Else would I pass with you a length of days."
Blest as

169

we

are

We

to

The nobles kissed the ground. Anon the din Of drums rose from the gate whereon all eyes

Were fixed, the people yelled against the man, Whose days were almost sped " Bring forth the Dragon Bound in the lasso's coils as he deserveth."
:

And

troops withdrew no wealthier than they came, took Zahhak, bound shamefully and flung In wretched plight upon a camel's back

The

On

this wise to Shirkhan.

Call this world old

Or ever thou

shalt hear this story told.

What

changes numberless have passed and still Must pass hereafter over. plain and hill Thus fortune's favourite bore Zahhak toward Shirkhan, and driving him among the mountains
!

V. 61

Was purposing to cast him headlong down, When carne the blest Sunish and whispered
:

thus

The prince in friendly wise " Convey the captive Thus to Mount Dainawand with speed, and take No escort, or but what thy safety needeth." He bore Zahhak as one that rideth post And fettered him upon Mount Dainawand So when new bonds were added to the old, And fate had not another ill in store, The glory of Zahhak became like dust
;

And

earth was cleansed from his abominations,

friends,

He

was removed from kindred and from

And bonds alone were left him in the mountains, Where Faridun chose out a narrow gorge

A chasm which
1

he had marked of viewless depth

mean

In the Persian, " Shirkhdn," with one letter changed, would

" call old."

And having studded

it

with heavy

nails,

Whereon the brain might chafe, secured Zahhak, Bound by the hands upon a crag, that so His anguish might endure. Thus was he left
To hang
:

Come

let us, lest

his heart's blood trickled to the ground. we tread the world for ill,
;

Be on attaining every good intent

No good

or evil will endure but

still

Good furnisheth the

;

better

monument.

A lofty palace, wealth of every kind, Will not avail thy monument on earth Will be the reputation left behind And therefore deem it not of little worth. No angel was the glorious Faridiin, Not musk and ambergris he strove to win By justice and beneficence the boon
;

Of greatness

be a Faridiin therein.

godlike travail undertaken he First cleansed the world from its iniquity.

By

The binding
v. 62

of Zahhak, that loathly one Devoid of justice, was the chief deed done,

next avenged the murder of Abtin, Caused all the world to recognise his sway, And lastly purged the surface of earth clean Of madmen, and took miscreants' power away, .O world how loveless and malign art thou To breed the quarry and then hunt it down Lo where is Faridiin the valiant now, Who took away from old Zahhak the crown ? Upon this earth five hundred years he reigned And then departing left an empty throne Bequeathing earth to others, he retained Of all that he possessed regret alone. So is it with us whether great or small And sheep or shepherd, 'tis the same with all.
!

He

VI

HIS REIGN

WAS FIVE HUNDRED YEARS

ARGUMENT

Faridiin, when firmly established on the throne, marries his three sonstothethree daughters of Sarv, king of Yaman,arid subsequently dividing the earth into three parts gives one to each of his sons. The two elder, becoming envious of the youngest, murder him, and are themselves slain by the grandson of their murdered brother, Miniichihr, who succeeds to the throne after the death of Faridun.

NOTE
In the Vedas we find the expression Tritd Aptya.
Trita
is

the

name

of a semi-divine personage,

by the gods. mere epithet. The fact that it is found in connection with other names besides Trita' s rather points to the last. We also find in the Vedas a hero named Traitana, who is recorded to have slain a giant. Trita and Traitana, who were probably quite distinct personages originally, appear to have become confused together even in the Vedas themselves, the exploits of each were attributed to the other also, and the confusion was handed down to later Thus we find Trita struggling with the storm-fiend for times. the possession of the waters, 1 and Traitana endowed with the gift of healing. In the Zandavasta, Trita Aptya and Traitana become three personages Thrita, Athwya, and Thraetaona respectively. Thrita is there represented as the first healer, and also as the third who offered the drink-offering of the Haoma. The word Sama is also associated with him, a word which is said to mean
of healing

who is endowed with the gift Aptya may be a proper name, a patrony-

mic, or

See Introd.
171

p. 7.

172

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSf

The and medicine-man were one originally. In reward for offering the Haoma two sons were born to Thrita, of whom one was the hero Keresaspa. Athwya is represented as being the second to offer the Haoma, and as a reward for so doing a son is born to him too Thraetaona, whose double character as hero and physician is clearly indicated. He is described as the smiter of the dragon Dahaka, and is also worshipped in his capacity as healer to avert or cure sickness. The word Sama, originally an epithet applied to Thrita, became applied to his son Keresaspa as a patronymic. He is thus described as Sama Keresaspa, and a special epithet is bestowed on him sometimes to the exclusion of
appeaser," with reference apparently to his medical powers.
priest

"

other titles that of Narimanau, " the manly minded." He is described in the Zandavasta as " the holy Keresaspa, the 1 the manly-hearted Sama, the club-bearer with plaited hair, Keresaspa ... he who was the sturdiest of the men of strength, next to Zarathu.stra, for his manly courage. For Manly Courage
.
.

Manly Courage^ firm of foot, unsleeping, 2 Short quick to rise, and fully awake, that clave unto Keresaspa." accounts of his exploits occur in the Zandavasta, 3 but the fullest are found in a Pahlavi version of the fourteenth Fargard of the lost (S'M&ar Nask. It appears that Keresaspa, great as he was as a hero, fell a victim to the wiles of one of Ahriman's evil
.

clave unto him.

the Pairika Knathaiti, who we are told "clave unto 4 The Pairika is the Pari, our Peri or Fairy, and" Keresaspa." 5 Keresaspa theresymbolises idolatry in Zoroastrian mythology. For fore neglected the worship of fire and became an idolater. this he was cast into hell, where he remained till Urmuzd, having
creations

heard him commended by Zoroaster, summoned him, and he pleaded to be released in consideration of the good works achieved by him while on earth. He urged that he slew the serpent Srovbar, "which was swallowing horses and swallowing men, and its teeth were as long as my arm, its ear was as large as fourteen blankets, its eye was as large as a wheel, and its horn was as much as Dahak 8

And I was running as much as half a day on its back, head was smitten by me at the neck with a club made for r my hand, and it was slain outright by me ... by me Gandarep was slain outright, by whom twelve districts were devoured at once. When I looked among the teeth of Gandarep, dead men were sticking among his teeth and my beard was seized by him,
in height.
till its
; 1

DZA,
Id.
i.

ii.

223.
5 7

6.

Id. 295. Id., note.

s 6

Id.
i.e.

Zahhak.

See introductory note to Zahhdk.

173

and

dragged him out of the sea nine days and nights the was maintained by us in the sea, and then I became more powerful than Gandarep. The sole of Gandarep's foot was also seized by me, and the skin was flayed oft' up to his head, and and with it the hands and feet of Gandarep were bound Grant me, O Auha?'Gandarep was taken arid slain by me m&zd heaven or the supreme heaven for I have slain the highwaymen who were so big in body that, when they were walking, people considered in this way, that below them are the stars and moon, and below them moves the sun at dawn, and the water of the sea reaches up to their knees.' And I reached up to their legs, and they were smitten on the legs by me they fell, and the hills on the earth were shattered by them." Keresaspa went on to tell how the demons urged on the wind to attack him, how it came on in its strength, uprooting every shrub, and tree, and reducing earth to powder in its path, and how he withstood it
I
;

conflict

'

and

prevailed.

He

finally

pleaded that when, in the fulness of

Zahhak shall escape from the fetters wherewith Faridun bound him to Mount Damawand, and threaten the world with destruction, he (Keresaspa) alone can conquer and finally destroy
time,

that evil
of
fire,

spirit. Urmuzd, in consideration for the outraged spirit long remained obdurate to the pleadings of Keresaspa, though supported by those of Zoroaster himself and others, but 1 finally yielded, and Keresaspa was admitted into heaven.

to the final destruction of Zahhak by Keresaspa we in the Bundahish and in the Bahman Yast. Combining the accounts given, we learn that Keresaspa obtained immortality while on earth, but that owing to his slighting firefind information

With regard

'

worship he was wounded by a Turk named Nihav, and fell asleep in the valley of Pishin in Kabulistan. He is there watched over by the divine glory, and by the guardian spirits of the righteous till the epoch when the powers of evil shall rally for the last great struggle against good, and Ahriman summon Zahhak from Mount Damawand. Zahhak will rush forth freed from the fetters of Faridun, first apparently swallow Ahriman himself, and then a third of mankind, cattle, sheep, and other creatures of Urmuzd, smite the water, fire, and vegetation, and commit grievous sin. Then the water, the fire, and vegetation will lament before Urmuzd and. pray that Faridun may be revived to slay Zahhak, else fire declares that it will not heat, and water that it will not Then Urmuzd will bid Suriish and another angel to rouse flow. Keresaspa the Saman. They will go to him and call him thrice.
1

WPT,

ii.

369-382.

174

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSt

At the fourth summons he will wake and go forth to encounter Zahhak, smite him on the head with the famous club, and slay
All evil, sin, and misery will cease, and the era of eternal 1 happiness 'begin. In the Shahnama, Thrita, Athwya, Thraetaona, and Sama Keresaspa Narimanau reappear under changed aspects. Thrita and Thraetaona coalesce into Faridun, while Athwya becomes Abtin, the father of Faridun. Sama Keresaspa Narimanau splits up into several personalities Sam, the grandfather, and Nariman, the great grandfather, of Rustam, Garshasp, a more remote ancestor of his, perhaps Garshasp, the hero mentioned in the present reign, and possibly Garshasp, the tenth Shah. In the case of Sam and Nariman the epithets and patronymics of earlier times become the names of heroes of later ages. 2 The three sons of Faridun Salm, Tur, and Iraj appear in the

him.

Zandavasta as Sairima, Tura, and Airyu respectively. Firdausi seems to derive the first, of course wrongly, from the Arabic " 3 Tur may be connected with an Aryan root salamat," "safety."

"tu" meaning "to

swell, to grow great or strong." Iraj is the same word as Aryan and means " noble." For the ethnical significance of the names, see Introd. p. 54.

How

Faridun ascended

the Throne

Faridun attained his wish, and reigned Supreme on earth, he ordered crown and throne According to the usance of old times Within the palace of the king of kings And on the first of Mihr, a blessed day, Set on his head the royal diadem.
;

When

WPT,
;

i.

119,233-235.
cf.

For the subject-matter of the above

HEP,

277, 278

DZA,

i.

233 WPT, ii. 369. 3 In the oldest Pahlavi that of the inscriptions the letters r and I were represented by distinct signs, but in the later Pahlavi that of the manuscripts the same sign stood for both letters it is easy to understand the confusion that resulted, especially in the case of proper
225

MZA,

iii.

names.

See DEI,

i.

19.

FARIDfjN

175

In those days, apprehensive of no evil, All men began to tread the path of God, Abstaining from contention and observing A feast inaugurated royally. Then sages sat rejoicing and each held A ruby goblet, then the wine was bright, The new Shah's face was bright and all the world
Itself

was brightened as that month began. bade men kindle bonfires and the people Burned ambergris and saffron thus he founded 1 That time of rest and festival Mihrgan. with him, and his memorial Began He banished then Is still the month of Mihr. All grief and labour from the minds of men. He dedicated not a single day

He

v. 63

Then shun and from Ambition escape grief, my son Note well that this world is no property, And small contentment wilt thou gain thereby. Now Faranak yet knew not that her child
!

To evil in five centuries of sway, But yet the world remained not his.

Had come to be the Shah, or Had lost the throne and that
At length news
of the

that
his

Zahhak

power was ended. happy youth arrived And of his being crowned. She bathed herself And prostrate in God's presence offered thanks Because of this most happy turn of fortune, And uttered maledictions on Zahhak Then to all those who were in poverty
;

And

strove to hide

it

she afforded aid,

But kept alike their secret and her own. She spent a week on alms till paupers failed Another week she feasted all the nobles, Bedecked her house as it had been a garden
1

A feast

held on the i6th of Mihr and the five following days.

;i7.6

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSl

there received her guests. She "then unlocked portal of her secret hoards, brought forth various treasures that she had amassed,
to distribute all her store.

And
The The
It

And purposed

seemed the time to ope the treasury, For drachms were trifles since her son was Shah. She made no stint of robes and royal jewels,
Arabian steeds with headstalls wrought of gold, Habergeons, helmets, double-headed darts, Swords, crowns and belts. Intent upon her son She placed her wealth on camels and despatched With praises on her tongue. The king of earth Beheld, accepted it, and blessed his mother.

v. 64

it

army when apprised of the world and cried monarch Sped " Victorious Shah and worshipper of God, To whom be praise may He give praise to thee. Thus may thy fortune grow from day to day, Thus may the fortunes of thy foes be shent,
The
leaders of the
to the
: !

May heaven make thee still victorious And mayst thou still be gracious and august."
The
wise

came

to the

Shah from
throne

their retreats

And poured
;

before

his

gold mixed with

gems The nobles too from all his provinces At that hocktide assembled at his gate,

Where

invoked God's blessing on the crown, The throne, the diadem, and signet-ring. With hands upstretched they prayed right heartily " May such joy last, the Shah bear fruit for ever." As time went on he journeyed round the world, Examining its sights and mysteries, Marked each injustice and all wasted lands, Bound evil hands, with bonds of kindliness A policy that well beseemeth kings
all

FARID&N
Bedecked the world
like Paradise,

177

and raised

Instead of grass the cypress and the rose-tree. He reached Tainmisha, passing by Amul, 1 And built a seat there in the famous chace
:

Kus

is

the

modern

title

of the place.

How

Farvlun

sent

Jandal

to

Yaman
v. 65

Now
He

years had passed, and by good fortune had three noble sons fit for the crown,
fifty

Of royal

birth, as tall as cypresses,

With cheeks like spring, in all points like their Two were the stainless sons of Shahrinaz, The youngest fair-cheeked Arnawaz had borne

father.

And though

they could outpace an elephant

Their father in his love had

named them

not.

In time the Shah perceived them fit to rule And called Jandal, a noble counsellor,

And

In everything devoted to his lord, " said Go round the world, select three maidens
:

Of noble lineage worthy of

In beauty
fit

to be affined to

my sons, me
much

And named
Three

sisters in full

not by their sire for fear of talk, blood with fairy faces,
alike

Unstained, of royal race, so

In height and looks that folk can scarce discern Betwixt them." Having heard he undertook The fair emprise, for he was shrewd and upright,

Of plausible address and

full of tact.

He

left 1 ran

with certain of his friends

To make

inquiries

and receive
1

reports.

In Mdzandaran.

?8

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

of any chief with daughters
privily,

Then when he heard

He

sought to learn about them

fit

Yet could not find among the wealthy thanes

One
v. 66

to be affined to Faridun.

This shrewd and holy

man

at length

reached Sarv

The monarch of Yaman with whom he found The object of his search three maidens such As Faridun required. With stately step, As 'twere a pheasant pacing toward a rose, He came to Sarv, and having kissed the ground
"

Explained his coming, praised the king and said For ever live, exalted sovereign,
:

Thou ceaseless lustre of the crown and throne !" The king said " Be thy praise in every mouth. What is thy message ? What are thy commands ?
Art thou ambassador or principal ? Jandal replied " May every joy be thine, And ever far from thee the hand of ill. I come as some poor heathen to convey A message from f ran. Great Faridun Saluteth thee by me. Thou ask'st my business I answer Mighty Faridun applaudeth thee,
:
:

"

And great are they whom he despiseth not. He said Say to the monarch of Yaman So long as musk hath scent perfume the throne,
' :
:

and thy wealth amassed, Arabs mayst thou be Safeguarded by the stars from all mishap. What thing is there more sweet than life and children Yea, they are sweeter than all else beside, For none is dearer than a child, that bond

Be thy

griefs scattered

And

ever, king of

Is as

no other bond.

If

any

man

Hath three eyes I possess them in my sons, But know that they are better still than eyes For those that look on them give thanks. What

said

FARtDtfN

179

The sage when he defined

'

a proper league ? with but iny betters." myself A sage intent on good will seek his friends Among his peers, men may be fortunate But inonarchs are not well without a host.
"

I ne'er ally

My realm
And

prosperous, I have treasure, might, daring, with three sons who well deserve
is

V. 67

To reign wise, men of knowledge and Without a want or wish unsatisfied.

of prowess,

For these three princes in domestic life I need three consorts of a royal race, And I have news (whereon I send in haste) By means of mine informants that thou hast

Among the ladies that O honour-loving king

For

are in thy bower, three maiden daughters

As yet unnamed, whereat

my

heart rejoiced,
still.

my

three sons of course are nameless

'Twere surely well for us to intermingle

These precious gems of two varieties, Three virtuous maids with three aspiring princes, Fit joined to fit, no room for scandal there.'

Such is his message think of thy reply." The monarch of Yam an drooped like the jasmine When out of water, thinking " If these Moons Are taken from me, and I see them not About my couch, my day will turn to night.
; :

No

need

to

answer yet

I Avill consult

With

those
first

who share with me the consequence."

He

assigned the ambassador a lodging,

Then having closed the audience sat and pondered. The monarch summoned from the Bedouins
Full
"

many a chieftain And made the matter

I

well approved in war, manifest to all

:

have as only issue of my wedlock Three Lights that are resplendent in mine

V. 68

eyes,

i8o

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

Faridiin hath sent an embassage

And

To spread a goodly snare before

my

feet

He would deprive me of these Eyes of mine, And I would fain consult thereon with you.
The ambassador
"

saith thus

'
:

Thus

saith the

Shah

have three princes who adorn my throne And seek for favour and affinity With thee by marriage with thy virtuous daughters."
I

'

If I shall answer,
'Twill be a lie
;

Yes,' and mean it not, to lie is not for kings

' ;

If I shall acquiesce in his request face all tears heart will be on fire,

My

my

And

if

I shall refuse

my

heart will feel

His vengeance From one who

is

not a matter for a jest the monarch of the world

And

have heard of what Zahhak Hath suffered from him. Now advise me well."
travellers too

The veteran
"

valiant chiefs thus

made

reply

We

Be

disapprove of veering to each gust. Faridiin however great a king

slaves are we, but say our say consequence. 'Tis ours to handle
;

No earringed And take the

The
bridle

and the lance

we make the earth

A winefat with our swords, we make the air A reed-bed with our spears. If thy three children
Are held
so dear unlock thy treasury shut thy lips or, if thou wilt use craft, But fearest Faridun, make such demands That none shall ever hear the like again."

And

The king heard while the chieftains But felt no less uncertain of his way.

said their say,

FARfDUN

181

S 3

How

the

King of Yaman

ansicered Jandal

At length he

called the Shah's

And spake to him " I am the servant

Thus say
Still

at large in gracious of thy lord in all

;

ambassador words

v. 69
:

That he commandeth
to

him

'

will I obey. Exalted as thou art,

;

me

thy three sons are precious unto thee kings esteem their own sons very precious When they are such as ornament the throne. I grant what thou hast said, I too have children

And

And judge by them yet if the mighty Shah Were to require mine eyes of me, or ask The kingdom of Yaman and desert-tribes, It were of lesser moment than for me To never look upon my children more Still if the Shah wish this I may not walk
;
;

Save as he biddeth me, and my three children, If so he will, shall cease to be my kin But when shall I behold those princely sons Who are the lustre of thy crown and throne ? Let those blithe youths come hither and illume
;

My gloomy soul; to see them will rejoice My heart, and I will contemplate their shrewdness Then I will give to them my three bright Eyes
According to our customs. Furthermore, When I perceive that they are upright men, I will join hand in hand in league with them, And whensoe'er the Shah would see his sons

They

shall return.'

"

Jandal, the sweet-voiced speaker

On

hearing kissed the throne with reverence,

82

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

v. 70

Then uttering praises hied him to his lord, To whom he told what he had said and heard. The monarch bade his sons attend, he spake About the mission of Jandal, and said " The monarch of Yaman is king of peoples,
:

Sarv is a cypress throwing lengthy shadows. He hath three daughters pearls as yet unpierced Who are his crown, for he hath not a son.
all three of them Suriish would kiss The ground, I ween, if he might have such brides. These I demanded of their sire for you

Before

And

took such order as becometh us.

Your duty now will be to go to him, But be discreet in all things small and great. Be complaisant but guarded therewithal, Heed what he saith and answer courteously. If he consulteth you advise him well.

Now hearken to my words and ye shall prosper: Among the peoples none can equal Sarv,
For he is fluent, ardent, shrewd, and pure. Allow him not to find you off your guard, For wise men work with subtilty. The first day

He

will assign

you

chief seats at a feast,

v. 71

Bring forth three sun-faced maids like garths in spring. All full of grace, of colour, and perfume, And seat them on the throne, these Cypresses In height and in appearance so alike That none could tell their order as to age. Now of these three the youngest will walk first,

The eldest last, the other in the midst. The king will place the youngest maid beside The eldest youth, beside the youngest prince The eldest maid, and pair the mid in age. Know, for 'tis worth your while, that he will ask
'

:
'

How

range ye in respect of age these damsels

FARIDtJN
'

183

Reply

The youngest hath the highest

place,

The The

hath a place below her rank, raid in age is placed as she should be, And thou hast failed in this attempt of thine.'
eldest

"

The pure and high-born three paid all regard To what their father said, and left his presence Fulfilled with wisdom and with artifice.

How
Be
ill

should the sons by such a father taught advised or indiscreet in aught ?

How

the

Sons of Faridun went

to the

King of Yaman
;

They summoned archimages and made ready

Their retinue was like the starry sky, All men of name with sunlike countenances.

Sarv, hearing of their coming, decked his host Like pheasant's plumes, and sent to welcome them
A.

v. 72

goodly band of kinsfolk and of magnates. As those three noble princes reached Yaman Both men and women met them on their way, Bestrewing saffron mixed with precious jewels And mingling musk with Avine. The horses' manes Were drenched therewith, and underneath their feet Gold coins were flung. A palace was prepared

Like Paradise

itself;

they overlaid
silver
;

The bricks with gold and Were of brocade of Rum

all

the hangings

a mass of wealth.

There Sarv disposed his guests and by the morn Had put them at their ease. He brought his daughters, As Faridun had said, out of their bowers, Like shining moons too dazzling for the eye,

And ranged them

just as Farfdiin foretold.

184

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

"
:

Sarv asked the eldest prince

Which

is

the youngest

Of these three Stars, which is the mid in age, And which the eldest ? Thus distinguish them." They answered as they had been taught, and so Sewed up the eyelids of his craft, while he

And

all

his warriors were lost in wonder.

He saw that his inversion naught And answered, " Yea," and paired
Went from
And many

availed

the pairs aright.

father,

The introduction ended in betrothal. The three princesses, blushing for their

the presence of the three young princes In sweet confusion, blushes on their cheek
a word of tenderness to speak.

How
v. 73

Sarv proved the Sons of Faridun by Sorcery

Then Sarv assembled boon-companions

And

passed the day with minstrels, wine, and talk, But his three sons-in-law the sons of Faridun Drank not except to him. When wine prevailed, And sleep and rest were needed, Sarv bade set

Some couches by a fountain of rose-water, And there the three illustrious athelings
Which
Slept in a garden in a bower of roses, scattered blossoms o'er them, but meanwhile

The sorcerer-king had thought

of a device

He
To

the royal pleasance and prepared His spells. He brought a frost and mighty blast
left

slay the princes

over hill and plain

It froze so sharply that the crows

grew numb.
;

The arch-enchanter Farfdun's three sons

Leapt from their couches at the grievous cold

FARtDtiN

185
skill,

And by the Grace of God and their own By kingly magic and their hardihood,
Opposed the

spell and kept the frost away. the sun shone o'er the mountain-tops, Sarv, anxious to know all, approached in haste His three exalted sons-in-law in hope

Now when

find their cheeks like lapislazuli, Congealed with frost, and their emprise defeated,

To

So that his daughters might remain to him As his memorial such was his hope, But sun and moon were adverse to his wishes, For he beheld three princes like new moons Fresh-seated on their royal thrones, and knew That spells had failed him and his time was lost.
;

He He

gave an audience all the chiefs attended. opened and brought forth his ancient treasures, Disclosing what had been secreted long, And brought too and committed to their lords Three maids sun-cheeked, like garths of Paradise
;

v. 74

(No archimage ere planted pines like them), With crowns and trinkets, ignorant of pain,
be a pain to plait the hair They were three new Moons and three warriorit
:

Unless

kings.
" The fault is mine, thought with bitterness Not Faridiin's, and may I never hear Of female issue from this royal stock He hath a lucky star who hath not daughters, But he who hath them hath no star to shine." Then to the assembled sages " Kings may well Wed Moons. Bear witness all that I have given

He

My three Eyes to these men in lawful marriage, To hold them dear as their own eyes are dear,
And limn them
hearts."
like

their

own

lives

on their

186

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

He uttered this aloud and then he bound On many vigorous camels' lusty backs The baggage of the brides. Yaman was bright
With gems. The daughters' litters moved With parasols and riches tit for kings.
hi
file

Sarv ordered everything and said farewell. Thus did the youths set out upon their way To Faridun with hearts alert and gay.

How
v. 75

Faridun made Trial of

his Sons

When
By

Reached Faridun he went

tidings that the princes had returned to meet them, longing,

trial of their characters, to end His boding fears, so changed him to a dragon One, thou wouldst say, no lion could escape

Which hissed and bellowed with its jaws aflame. As soon as he perceived his three sons near,
Like sombre mountains in a cloud of dust, He too threw dust about and made it fly,

While earth re-echoed with

his bellowings.

rushed in fury toward his eldest son, That prince of many virtues, who exclaimed " No man of sense and wisdom thinketh good To fight with dragons." Then he showed his back And fled. The father turned toward the next, His second son, who when he saw the dragon Strung up his bow and drew it, saying thus " When fight is toward, what matter if the foe " Be roaring lion or brave cavalier ? But when the youngest son came up he looked " Avaunt Upon the dragon and cried out Thou art a leopard ware the lions' path
:
:

He

FARIDtfN
If e'er the name of Faridiin hath reached Thine ears contend not with us, for we three Are sons of his, and every one of us A wielder of the mace, and warrior. Unless thou turnest from thy waywardness
I will

187

The

discrown thee of thy loathly face." glorious Faridiin thus heard and saw,
V. 76

And having proved their mettle disappeared. He went away but came back as their sire With all the pomp and circumstance befitting,
With kettledrums and huge

And

fierce elephants bearing in his hand the ox-head mace. The leaders of the host were at his back, And all the world was his. The noble princes

Dismounted when they saw the Shah, they ran To him and kissed the ground, dazed at the din

Made by the elephants and kettledrums. The father grasped their hands and welcomed them, Each to his proper place. On his return
prayed and offered up much thanks The Author of his weal and of his woe

He

to

God

Then summoned

Upon
"

his three sons and seating them the throne of majesty spake thus That loathly dragon which would scorch the world
:

Was

your own father, who desired to prove mettle, and this known returned with joy. Now in my wisdom I have chosen fit names For you. Thou art the eldest, be thou Salm And have thy wish on earth thou soughtest

Your

shun to flee the monster's maw. The rash man who despiseth elephants Or lions call him frantic and not brave. My second son, who from the first showed fight, Whose courage is more ardent than a flame,

And

safety didst not

i88

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Tiir

Him name we

a lion brave

not even

A mighty
To dare
is

elephant could vanquish him. all the virtues in his case,

v. 77

For no faint heart is master of a throne. The youngest is a man of sleight and fight, One that can bide his time and yet be prompt. He chose the middle course 'twixt dust and flame, The prudent man's. Brave, young, and sensible He must alone be praised. Be he fraj, And may his end be all supremacy, Because at first he was not choleric, But at the time of stress his courage grew.
open now my lips with joy to name These Arab dames with fairy. countenances."
I

He named
Of Of
Tiir,

the wife of Salm, Arzii Mah-i-Azada Khu the wife

;

l
;

the wife

blest Iraj, Sahf, to

whom Canopus

Was but a slave in beauty. Afterwards He brought a catalogue embracing all

The

Whose

stars within the circling sphere of heaven, aspects readers of the stars had taken,

Spread it before him and observed the fortunes Of his illustrious sons. Salm's horoscope

Was

Jupiter in Sagittarius.

Next came the horoscope of glorious Tiir The Sun ascendant in the Lion's House A presage brave but when the Shah observed The horoscope of blest f raj he found The Moon in Cancer thus the stars revealed A destiny of strife and woe. The Shah
; ;

Was

sorely troubled, with a deep cold sigh Perceived that heaven loved not his bright-souled son, And as he mused thereon he could not be

But
1

with thoughts of grave anxiety. Arzti means Desire Mdh-i-Azslda KM, Moon of noble-nature and
filled
;

Sahi, Stately.

FARID&N

189

How

FariJun divided

the

Wwld among

his

Sons

And made
West,

These secrets known, the Shah divided earth three realms he joined Rum with the
:

Tiiran with Chin, Arabia with Iran.

He first took thought for Salm and gave him Rum And all the West, commanding him to lead An army thither so Salm took the throne, And all the West saluted him as lord.
;

Next Faridiin assigned Tiiran to Tur To rule the Turkmans and the land of Chin, Providing troops Tur led his army forth, Arrived, assumed the seat of sovereignty, Girt up his loins and opened wide his hands. The nobles showered upon him precious stones, And all Tiiran hailed him as king, f raj
;

Came

last,

the

sire selected all Iran

For him. This with Arabia and the throne Of majesty and crown of chiefs he gave, Perceiving that Iraj deserved to rule. How all the princes, prudent, wise, and shrewd, All-hailed him as the master of Iran As rnarchlords thus these men of noble birth Acceded to their thrones in peace and mirth.
!

How Salm

grew Envious of Iraj

time rolled on, while fate reserved its secrets, Till wise Shah Faridiin was worn with age And strewed with dust the Garden of his Spring.

Much

I9P

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

is

This

the

common

lot of all

mankind

v. 79

Man's strength is weakness when he groweth old. Then gloom began to gather in the state, The princes of the realm waxed turbulent. Immersed in greed Salm changed in heart and mind, He sat in conclave, for he much misliked His sire's apportionment, which gave fraj The throne of gold. In rancour and with froAvns He hurried off a camel-post, an envoy, To give this message to the king of Chin " Live ever glad and happy Know, great king Of Turkmans and of Chin that our shrewd hearts Did ill to acquiesce when we were wronged Though we are cypress-tall our souls are base.
: ! !

Mark with discerning heart None such hath reached

this tale of

mine

thee from the days of

old:Three sons were we who graced our father's throne, And now the youngest hath the chiefest place Since I am first in wisdom and in years Such fortune doth befit my signet-ring, While if crown, throne, and diadem should pass From me, king should they not deck thyself? Shall both of us continue thus aggrieved By that injustice which our father did
!

In giving to

fraj fran,

And Araby

the

Yaman, West and Rum

;

to

me

To thee the wastes of Turkestan and Chin ? The youngest hath Iran I cannot brook This settlement thy father must be mad." The message filled Tiir's brainless head with wind,
;

And
"
'

savage as a lion he replied

well

my words and tell them to thy lord most just king It was when we were youths, That we were cheated by our father thus.
Heed

FARfDUN
This
is

191

a tree which his

own hands have

colocynth
;

set

The

fruit is blood, the leafage

So let us meet and parley as to this, Fix on our course of action and raise

V. So
"

troops.'

Now when
The

the envoy brought this answer back face of that veiled secret was laid bare,

This brother caine from Chin and that from And, poison being mixed with honey thus,

Rum,

They met together to deliberate The matter both in council and in

state.

How Salm and Tdr

They chose a
priest,

sent a

Message

to

Farldun

a shrewd, bright, heedful

man

and then excluding strangers Concerted plans. Salm put their case in words, Washed off all filial reverence from his eyes,
plausible,

And

And
To

thus addressed the envoy " Hence away, In spite of dust and tempest, swift as wind
:

Farfdiin and heed not aught beside.

'

On reaching him greet him in both our names And say In heaven and earth the fear of God Should equally prevail, the young may hope
:

To

By Thou

see old age, but hoar hairs turn not black. long abiding in this straitened place
straitenest the long

home

for thyself.

All-holy

God bestowed

the world upon thee

v. Si

bright sun unto sombre earth, Yet didst thou choose to act in mere caprice, Not heeding His commands, and to entreat Thy sons with scath and fraud instead of justice; For thou hadst three, wise, brave, and youths no longer,

From yonder

192

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

And though no excellence appeared in one So that the others should bow down to him, Yet one thou blastedst with a dragon's breath, Another's head thou raisedst to the clouds On one thine eyes reposed with joy, and he Now hath the crown and is beside thy couch, While we who are as good as he by birth Are deemed unworthy of the royal throne. O upright judge and monarch of the world May justice such as this be never blessed If then his worthless head shall be discrowned, Earth rescued from his sway, and thou wilt give him Some corner of the world where he may sit Like us in anguish and oblivion well
;
!

Else will

we bring the Turkman cavaliers

And eager warriors of Rum and Chin An army of the wielders of the mace
In vengeance on Iran and on fraj.'" The priest at this harsh message kissed the ground, Then turned and mounted swift as wind-borne flame. When he approached the court of Faridun

And marked the cloud-capt buildings from afar, Which stretched from range to range, while at the
Chiefs sat and those of highest rank behind The curtain, on the one side pards and lions

gate

Chained, on the other fierce war-elephants, While from that noble band of warriors

The
V. 82

noise that rose was like a lion's roar,

"

It

must be heaven," he thought,

"

and not a court

"
!

The troops around it are a fairy host The wary watchman went and told the Shah " A man of noble mien and high estate Hath come as envoy to the Shah."
His servants
raise the curtain

He bade and bring in

FARIDUN
The envoy, when dismounted, to the court, Who when he saw the face of Faridiin, Saw how the Shah engrossed all eyes and hearts,
His stature cypress-like, his face a sun, His hair like camphor and his rose-red cheeks, His smiling lips, his modest countenance, And royal mouth, which uttered gracious words, Did reverence and wore the ground with kisses.

193

The Shah commanded him

to rise

and

sit

the seat of honour due to him, Then asked him first about the noble pair "Enjoy they health and happiness?" and next

Upon

About himself: "Art weary with long " O'er hill and plain ?

travel

answered " Noble Shah May none behold the world without thee Those Of whom thou speakest are as thou wouldst wish, And live but by thy name. Thy slave am I,

He

Albeit all unworthy and impure. The message that I bring to thee

is

harsh

And

But The message sent by two imprudent youths." The Shah commanded him to speak and heard The embassage delivered word by word.

sent in anger by no fault of mine, if my lord commandeth I will tell

10

How

Faridun made Answer

to his

Sons

When
"
"

he had heard, the Shah's brain seethed with

!

anger. man of prudence " thus he

made

reply,
V. 83

Thou needest no

And

excuse, for I have eyes have discerned this for myself already.

194

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSf

Tell

mine unholy and abandoned sons

:

This pair of Ahrimans with dregs of brains 'Tis well that ye reveal your natures thus
'

And send
For
if

a greeting worthy of yourselves your brains are empty of my teaching,

;

And ye have no
Not

idea what

wisdom

is,

My

fearing God, ye could not well do other. hair was once as black as pitch, my stature

cypress-tall, my face was like the moon. The sky which hath bent down this back of mine Is yet unfallen and revolveth still So time will bend you too, and even that
:

Was

Which bendeth you

itself will

not endure.

Now by

the highest

name

of holy God,

By yon bright sun, and by the teeming ground, By throne, by crown, by Venus and the moon,
I

never cast an

evil look

upon you.
;

I called the sages into conference,

The archimages and astrologers Abundant time was spent therein that

so
;

We might
I

had

divide the earth with equity no object but to deal with fairness
;

There was no knavery from first to last My secret motive was the fear of God,
longing to fulfil all righteousness ; Since earth was given to me full of men
It

My

was no wish of mine

"
:

to scatter

them

I said

On

each of

my

three lucky Eyes

Will I bestow a populous dominion." If Ahriman hath now seduced your hearts From mine advice to dark and crooked ways, Consider if the Omnipotent will look
V. s4

With approbation on this deed of yours. One proverb will I speak if ye will hear " The crop that ye have sown that shall ye
:

reap."

FARtDUN
He
"

195
:

that instructed

me was wont

that which where reason should be throned. Why are ye thus confederate with the Div ? I fear that in that Dragon's clutch your bodies
is

Our other home

lusts sit

to say will endure."

But your

And
It is

souls will part. Now that I leave the world no time for wrath and bitterness
;

Yet thus he saith the man consumed with years, Who had three sons, three men of noble birth By hearts released from passions dust is held As precious as the Avealth of king of kings But whoso selleth brother for the dust Men rightly say that he was bastard-born. The world hath seen and will see men like you
: ;

In plenty but it cottoneth to none. Now if ye know aught of avail with God To save you on the Day of Reckoning, Seek that, make it the provand for the way And be less careful for the things of earth
;
!

'

'

The envoy hearing kissed the ground and went Thou wouldst have said " His way-mate is the wind." The envoy being gone the Shah resumed
;
:

His

seat,

And
"

then called his noble son t raj told both what had chanced and what might

be:

Those sons of mine with hearts intent on war Have set themselves against us from the West.
Their stars dispose them to delight in ill Besides their troughs are in two provinces,
;

Whose
The

fruit is savagery. They will enact brother's part while thou shalt wear the crown, And when thy ruddy face is pale in death

Will shun thy pillow. If thou puttest love Before the sword thy head will ache with strife, For from both corners of the world my sons

196
V. 85

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSf

their real intent.
If

Have shown
fight

thou wouldst

Make

ready, ope the treasury, bind the baggage

Secure the cup while thou art breaking fast, For if not they will sup on thee, my son Thou needst not earthly helpers, thine allies
!

Are truth and innocence."

The good
Gazed on that loving Shah,

Iraj

his glorious sire,

And

said

"
:

My

lord

consider

Like wind above us. Why should wise It withereth the cheek of cercis-bloom,
It
;

how time passeth men fret ?

darkeneth the radiant spirit's eyes gain and then a pain, And when the pain is done we pass away. Since then our couch is dust, our pillow brick, Why plant to-day a tree whose roots will ever Be drinking blood, whose fruit will be revenge ? The earth hath seen and will see many lords With scimitar and throne and signet-ring Like us but they who wore the crown of old Made not a habit of revenge. I too,
It is at first a
;

The king
I

permitting, will not live in

ill.

want not crown and throne. I will approach My brothers in all haste and unattended, And say My lords, dear as my soul and body Forbear your anger and abandon strife Strife is unlovely in religious men. Why set your hopes so much upon this world ? How ill it used Jamshid who passed away At last, and lost the crown and throne and girdle And you and I at length must share his lot. Live we in joy together and thus safe
'
:

V. 86

From foes.' I will convert their vengeful hearts What better vengeance can I take than that "
?

FARIDUN
The
Are
I
'

197
!

set

Shall replied Thy brethren, my wise son on fight while thou wouldst have a feast.
: :

"

It is

cannot but recall this saw to mind no marvel if the moon is bright.'

An

answer such as thine becometh well Thy virtuous self; thou art for brotherhood And love, but doth a prudent man expose His priceless life and head to dragon's breath, Since naught but biting venom cometh thence By nature ? Yet, if such be thy resolve,

Take order

for

Select a retinue

thy going and set forth. among the troops

To go with thee, and I will write a letter, With sorrow in my heart, to those two men.

Oh may
!

For when

thy safe return rejoice my sight, I look on thee my soul is bright."

How
The
great Of all the

fray went to his Brothers

Shah wrote a letter to the lord West and to the king of Chin, Wherein he offered first his praise to God

Who is
Is for

and

will

And then went on

two Suns

be to eternity, " This letter of good counsel

:

at their meridian,

Two men

of weight

and courage, kings of

earth,

One monarch of the West, the other of Chin, From him who hath surveyed the world throughout,
To

whom

Who Who Who Who

mysterious things have been disclosed, brandisheth the sword and massive mace, addeth lustre unto famous crowns,
turneth into night the light of day, openeth the hoards of hope and fear,

198
V. 87

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USl

all labours have grown easy, one In whom all splendour hath displayed itself. I do not ask of you your diadems, Your hoarded treasures, thrones, or palaces My wish is, after all my weary toils, That my three sons should dwell in peace and
:

To whom

love.

The brother

as to

whom

your hearts are sore

(Though none hath felt a chilling breath from him) Doth come in haste because of your chagrin,

And of his eagerness to see you both. He hath resigned his kingship for your sakes An action worthy of the noblest men And taking to the saddle from the throne Hath girt his loins that he may do you service.

Now since He hath a

Hold him As I have

he

the youngest of the three right to love and tenderness.

is

and repent yourselves body feed his soul, And after he hath been with you awhile Send my beloved one back to me."
in honour,

fed his

They sealed
with the signet of the Shah. I forth set with such attendants only, raj Both young and old, as were imperative
letter

The

And Salm and

Tur,

when he was drawing

nigh,

Unwitting of their dark design, led forth The troops to meet him as their custom was.
they beheld their brother's face of love They showed to him an altered countenance, And bent on quarrel gave the peaceful one

When

Two

greeting but jiot such as he desired. hearts were full of vengeance, one was calm

Thus all three brothers sought their royal tents. The troops saw, as they looked upon iraj, That he was worthy of the throne and crown,

FA RID UN

199

And

could not rest because the love of

him
;

Possessed their hearts e'en as his face their eyes And when, dispersing, mate went off with mate,

Their talk in private was about 1 raj " This is the one to be the king of kings May none beside him have the crown of might." Salm from apart was spying on the troops,
: !

V. 88

Their doings made him heavy, and he sought His royal tent with a revengeful heart,

With

liver full of blood,

and frowning brows.

He had

the enclosure cleared while he and Tiir

Sat with their counsellors, and talked at large Of kingship, crown, and all the provinces
;

And
"

in the midst thereof

Salm

said to Tiir

Why have the soldiers scattered into groups ? Didst thou not mark how, when we were returning,
The
soldiers as they passed along the road

Could not refrain from looking at 1 raj ? Our troops when they came back were altered men.

He

turned

my

heart to gloom, thoughts thronged, I saw

That henceforth they would wish no Shah but him.

From

Unless thou shalt uproot him thou wilt fall thine exalted throne beneath his feet."

In such a mind they closed the interview

And

spent the night devising what to do.

I2

How

Iraj was Slain by his Brothers

Now when

the veil was lifted from the sun,

As morning dawned and slumber passed away, The hearts of that insensate pair were eager To do their deed of shame they proudly strode Toward their royal brother's tent. Iraj, Who saw them coming, met them tenderly.
;

200
v. 8;

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USl

inside the tent.

They went with him

The

talk

Kan on
Tur

the

said to

why and wherefore of his coming. him " Since thou art youngest born
:

Why
While

shouldst thou take the crown of power?

Must

thou
Possess the throne of princes and i ran I am bondslave at the Turkman's gate Thine eldest brother chafeth in the West

While thou art crowned and walkest over For thus did our aspiring sire apportion The world in favour of his youngest son."
Iraj
"

treasure,

made answer

in a holier strain

renown mighty Seek peace if thou wouldst have thy heart I do not want the royal crown or throne, The style of monarch or the Iranian host I do not want Iran, the West, or Chin,
chieftain, lover of
!

at ease.

The kingship

or the broad expanse of earth.

When

majesty produceth naught but strife One needs must weep o'er such supremacy.
ridest on the heaven above, brick will be thy pillow in the end. For my part, though the master of Iran,
I

Although thou
L

aweary both of crown and throne, yield to you the diadem and signet, So hate me not there is no feud between us, No heart need ache through me. I will not have The world against your will, and though I dwell Far from your ken I ever act as younger My Faith is naught without humanity." Tur heard the words and little heeded them, But, angry that f raj should speak and caring No jot for peace, he rose up with a cry And then advancing suddenly, and grasping The massive seat of gold, he smote Iraj,

am

And

FARiDUN

201

Who

" Hast thou no fear pleaded for his life Of God, nor any reverence for thy sire ? Is this indeed thy purpose ? Slay me not,
:

For in the end my blood will be required. Be not thou reckoned with the murderers, And henceforth thou shalt find no trace of me. Canst thou approve and reconcile these twain To be a murderer and live thyself?

Oh
I

For

hurt not e'en the poor grain-dragging ant, hath life, and sweet life is a joy. 1 will choose some retreat and earn my bread
!

it

Why gird thy loins to take a brother's life Why set on fire our aged father's heart
?

Wouldst have the world

blood
:

Thou hast

it.

Shed not

Provoke not God, the Ruler of the world." Tiir heard him speak but answered not a word His heart was full, his head was vapouring. He drew a dagger from his boot, he robed and with the keen bright blade Iraj in blood, Entrenched the royal breast. The lofty Cypress Fell, the imperial girdlestead was broken,

The blood ran down that

face of cercis-bloom,
!

And thus the young illustrious monarch died Tiir with his dagger cut the prince's head
From
the elephantine form and
!

all

was over.

world since thou hadst nursed him tenderly Yet didst not spare his life at last, I wis

Not who thy

1

secret favourites
for

may

be,
this.

But needs must weep

such an act as

The poet puts his own protest into the mouth of Iraj against the ancient Zoroastrian custom of killing ants at sight as being the crea"The celebrated high-priest of the Parsis, the late tion of Ahriman.
Moola Firooz, entered these
*

lines into his

little

betoken better days for the wise

i.e.

creature."

Pand Namdh,* which may DZA, i. 171.

Book

of counsels.

202

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

too,

Thou
If,

O man

Whose heart
,

distracted and distraught, the world hath seared and caused to bleed

as with these, revenge is in thy thought Take warning by these persecutors' deed.

They

filled
it

the head with

umsk and

ambergris

And
v. 91

sent

to the aged world-divider

:

With these words " Look upon thy darling's head The inheritor of our forefathers' crown

And

give it crown or throne as pleaseth thee." The royal and far-shadowing Tree had fallen, And those two miscreants went their way in spleen, One unto Rum, the other unto Chin.

How

Faridun received Tidings of

the

Murder of fraj

The eyes of Faridun were on the road, Both host and crown were longing for the prince But when the time arrived for his return

How did the tidings reach his father first He had prepared the prince a turquoise throne
?

And added jewels

Were
all in

to his crown.

readiness to welcome

The people him

And

called for wine

and song and minstrelsy.

They brought out drums and stately elephants, And put up decorations everywhere
Throughout

Were

While the Shah and troops his province. busied thus a cloud of dust appeared,
its

And from
By one

midst a dromedary ridden

in grief

who

uttered bitter cries

He

bore a golden casket, and therein

The prince's head enwrapped in painted silk. The good man came with woeful countenance To Faridun and wailed aloud. They raised The golden casket's lid (for every one

FARIDUN
Believed the words of

203
it

him who bore

wild)

And

taking out the painted silk beheld Within the severed head of prince Iraj. Down from his steed fell Faridiin, the troops
All rent their clothes, their looks were black, their eyes Blanched with their horror, for the spectacle Was other far than that they hoped to see.

The troops that went

Since in this wise the young king came again to meet him thus returned

Their banners rent, their kettledrums reversed, warriors' cheeks like ebony, the tymbals And faces of the elephants all blackened, The prince's Arabs splashed with indigo.

The

v. 92

Both Shah and warriors fared

Their heads
all

alike

on

foot,

the paladins in anguish Bewailed that noble man and tore their arms.
;

dust

A
Is,

Be on thy guard as touching this world's love bow is useless if it be not bent. The process of the turning sky above
favouring
'Twill
first, to plunder in the event. countenance an open enemy

While those who seek its favour are denied. One goodly counsel I address to thee Let no love for it in thy heart abide. The troops heart-seared, the Shah with cries " Alas went toward the garden of Iraj
: !

"

Alas

Where he

delighted to hold festival

his son's head,

On any

royal anniversary.

The monarch entered bearing

Beheld the hauzes l and the cypresses,

1 " Behind the state apartments is a beautiful and luxuriant garden cooled by magnificent hauzes, or ornamental ponds, with stone edges, which keep the water about a foot above the level of the ground as
;
,

the water always gently overflows these edges, a sleepy murmur produced, and the air is cooled by the large evaporating surface."
" Persia as
it Is," p. 31,

is

by

C. J. Wills,

M.D.

204

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USf

trees a-bloom, the willows

The

and the quinces,

Saw

upon the throne but and lustreless Imperial unprinced While up to Saturn rose the soldiers' wail. He cried " Alas Alas " plucked out his hair, He poured down tears, he tore his face and girt
!
!

too and strewed dark dust

Around

his loins a rope besmirched with blood.

He

fired the

house wherein

raj

had

dwelt,

Destroyed the rose-beds, burnt the cypress-trees And closed up once for all the eye of joy.

He

And

placed the prince's head upon his breast, " said with head turned God-ward Righteous
: !

V. 93

Judge Look down upon this murdered innocent, Whose severed head is here before me now, While foreign lions have devoured his body. Do Thou so burn up those two miscreants' hearts
That they may never see a bright day more. So pierce and sear the livers of them both That even beasts of prey shall pity them.

Oh

grant me,

Thou

that judgest righteously

So long a respite from the day of death That I may see descended from t raj One born to fame, and girded to avenge. Let him behead those two injurious men As they beheaded him who wronged them not, And when I have beheld it let me go Where earth shall take the measure of my height." He wept thus many days and bitterly. His pillow was the dust, his bed the ground
Until the herbage grew about his breast And both those lustrous eyes of his were dimmed.

He gave no audience, but without surcease " O gallant youth Cried out with bitterness
:

No

wearer of a crown hath ever died

FARIDIJN

205
!

As thou hast died, thou famous warrior Thou wast beheaded by vile Ahriman The maw of lions was thy winding-sheet." Wails, sobs, and cries robbed e'en the beasts While men and women gathered into crowds In every province, weeping and heart-broken.
;

of sleep,

How many days they sat in their distress A death in life of utter hopelessness
!

4
to

How

a Daughter was Born

Iraj

A while
1 raj's

The

passed and the Shah went in to view bower, inspected it and marked moon-faced beauties who resided there.
a slave of lovely countenance,
v. 94

He saw

Whose name was Mah Afrid. f raj had loved her, And fate decreed that she should bear him fruit.
The Shah
rejoiced because she

was with

child,

Which gave him hope of vengeance for his son, But when her time was come she bore a daughter, And hope deferred hung heavy on the Shah.

He nursed the babe with joy and tenderness, And all the folk began to cherish her
As she increased in stature and in charms. Thou wouldst have said to her the tulip-cheeked " Thou art fraj himself from head to foot." When she was old enough to wed a Pleiad
:

Her grandsire chose Pashang

In countenance with hair as black as pitch to be her spouse

Pashang was brother's son to Faridiin, Descended from a noble ancestry,

A hero
Meet

of the seed of

Shah Jamshid,
;

And

for the kingship, diadem, and throne in this way no little time passed on.

206

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA USf

15

The Birth of Minucltihr

When

Mark what a wonder yon blue vault revealed nine months had elapsed That virtuous dame
!

Brought

forth a son
his

Who from

crown and throne, tender mother's womb was brought

fit

for the

Without delay before the mighty Shah. The bearer said " master of the crown
:

behold fraj The world-divider's lips were full of smiles Thou wouldst have said " His own f raj doth
Let
all

thy heart be joy

"

live."
:

95

He clasped the noble child and prayed the Almighty " Oh would that I might have mine eyes again, That God would show to me this infant's face." He prayed so earnestly that God vouchsafed To give his sight back. When with open eyes He gazed on that new-comer's face he cried
! :

" day blest and our foes' hearts plucked out He brought bright wine and splendid cups and called That babe of open visage Mimichihr, 1 And said " From two pure parents there hath come A proper branch to fruit." He reared the babe a breath not So tenderly that passed o'er him.

"

Be

this

"

slave that carried him upon her breast Trod not the ground, for underneath her feet The purest musk was strewn, and as she walked A sunshade of brocade was o'er her head. Years passed, no ill befell him from the stars Meanwhile the famous monarch taught the child

The

All those accomplishments that kings require.

1

The word here translated

meaning
of Minuchihr

"

open visage

"

is

" mansichihr."

For the

true

see introductory note to the next reign.

FARlDtiN

207

When
And

had got back sight and heart, the world was talking of the boy, His grandsire gave to him a golden throne,
Faridiin
all

A A

princely turquoise crown, a massive mace And treasury-key with thrones, torques, casques, and
girdles,

bright-hued tent-enclosure of brocade With tents of leopard-skin, such Arab steeds

breast-

With golden furniture, such Indian scimitars With golden sheaths, such store of casques and
plates,

With buttoned hauberks made in Rum and bows From Chach and poplar shafts and shields from Chin

And double-headed javelins

Thus

of

war

Faridiin bestowed his hard- won treasures,

v. 96

Convinced that Mimichihr was well deserving,

And felt his own heart full of love for him. He summoned all his paladins and nobles,

Who

came

intent

on vengeance

for Iraj,

And offered homage, showering emeralds Upon his crown. On that great new-made
The sheep and wolf walked side by side on The leaders were Karan, the son of Kawa, The chief Shirwi, the fierce and lion-like,
;

feast

earth.

Garshasp the noble swordsman, Sam the champion, The son of Nariman Kubad, Kishwad,

He

and many more of the golden helm the safeguards of the world Illustrious men,

And when

the work of gathering troops was done The Shah's head towered over every one.

208

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

How

Salrn

and Tar had Tidings of Minuchihr

When
"

those two miscreants

Salm and

Tiir

had heard

The throne

They

of king of kings is bright again," feared their star would sink and sat together
;

In anxious thought

those wretches' day was darkened

And

they resolved to send to ask forgiveness. They chose a man persuasive, wise, and modest,

To whom they made a passionate

appeal,

And
V. 97

fearful of a downfall

opened wide

The

treasury of the West. They chose a crown of gold.

From
with

that old hoard

elephants.

They housed the

What wagons

did they

fill

musk and

ambergris,
!

Brocade, dinars, and precious furs and silks On high-necked elephants the embassage

Went from
The

West in state toward Iran. added tokens of regard, And when there was as much as heart could wish
the
courtiers

The envoy came prepared to start. The kings Gave him this embassy to Faridiin,
first of all the name of God May valiant Faridiin for ever live On whom God hath bestowed the royal

Invoking
"

Grace,

Be

flourishing, his person loved, I present His genius higher than heaven case committed to me by two slaves his
!

head

high portal of the king of kings. that two ill-disposed and lawless men, Whose eyes are wet with shame before their
this

At

Know

sire,

Repentant, seared at heart, and much to blame, Now seek how best they may excuse themselves Till now they had no hope of being heard.

FARIDUN
What do they say
'

209
!

Their words, wise Shah

are these:

Let him that did the evil bear the brunt,

And

live in pain of heart and self-reproach As we are doing now, O noble Shah Thus was it written down for us by fate And by decree of fate the sequel came
! ;

E'en world-consuming lions and fierce dragons Escape not from the net of destiny.

Again

the foul Div bade us put aside

All terror of the Worldlord from our hearts, He took possession of two wise men's brains,

And mightily prevailed against us both And now our hope is that perchance the Shah May yet forgive us, and impute the wrong
;

To ignorance
That
is

in us, next to high

at once our shelter

heaven and our scath,

V.

And

Div that in our midst Is girded runner-like to work us ill, Now, if the great king's head no longer harboureth Revenge on us, our good faith shall be evident. Let him send Miniichihr and, as an escort,
thirdly to the

A mighty
With
Before

army

to his suppliants,

this intent that

we may stand

as slaves

him

dutifully

thus our tears

wash^the tree that springeth of revenge, Our offering shall be our tears and groans, And when he groweth up our hoards and thrones.'

May

"

17

How

Faridun received

his Sons'

Message

Charged with these words, and doubting what would

follow,

The envoy reached the portal of the Shah With treasures of all kinds on elephants.
o

210

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

Farfdiin was told he gave

When

command

To spread brocade of Rum upon the throne Of king of kings and have the royal crown Prepared, then took his seat as he had been

An
In

upright cypress 'neath a full-orbed moon fitting state with crown and torque and earrings.

Blest Miniichihr sat by him crowned, the nobles Stood ranked in double file in robes of gold,

With golden mace and

Another sun.

girdle,

making earth

On one side pards and lions Were chained, on the other huge war-elephants. Then from the palace issued bold Shapiir To introduce Salmis envoy, who on seeing The palace-gate alighted and ran forward.
V. 99

As soon

as

he drew near

to

Faridun

And saw the diadem and lofty throne, He bent until his visage touched the ground.
The noble Shah, the monarch of the world, Bade him be seated on a golden seat. He did obeisance to the Shah and said
:

"

glory of the crown and throne and signet Thy throne's steps make the earth a rosary,

And thy

fair

fortune brighteneth the age.

is beneath thy feet thou wilt have it so."

We

serve the dust that

And

only live since

These praises caused the Shah's face

to relax,

Whereat the envoy spake of clemency With great craft, and the Shah gave ear to him While he repeated those two murderers' words,
Endeavouring
to

keep the truth concealed

And make

excuses for their wickedness, Miniichihr to visit them Inviting When they would wait upon him as his slaves, Give him the crown and throne of majesty

FARIDUN
And purchase back from him Iraj's blood With wealth, brocade, dinars, and jewelry. The monarch heard the speech and answered
Like key to lock so did the answer
fit.

211

it

18

How Faridun made Answer

to his

Sons

The Shah, when he had heard the message

sent

By
"

his two wicked sons, said to the envoy Canst thou conceal the sun, and clearer still
:

Are shown the secrets of those miscreants' hearts ? I have heard all thy words now mark mine answer. Tell those two shameless and unholy men, v and ill-affectioned, impure, Unrighteous, That their vain words avail them not, and I Have also something that I fain would say If thus your love for Mimichihr hath grown Where is the body of his famous sire
; :

I00

'

Iraj

The

maw

of wild beasts hideth

laid,

it,

His head

is in a

narrow casket

And

Now

they who made a riddance of f raj seek to shed the blood of Mimichihr

Ye shall not see his face but with an army And with a casque of steel upon his head,
With mace and Kawian standard while
Is

the earth
;

darkened by his horses' trampling hoofs With leaders like Karan, who loveth fight, Shapiir the valiant backbone of the host

And by

his side Shidiish the warrior,

Shirwf the lion-strong as pioneer, King Taliman, and Sarv, king of Yainan, To head the forces and direct the war
;

And we
The
tree

will

drench with blood, both leaf and

for fraj.

fruit,

sprung out of vengeance

212

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDAUSI

No
It

one hath sought revenge for him as yet Because I saw the back of fortune bent
:

seemed not good to me to lay my hands In battle on mine own two sons but now From that same Tree which enemies have felled A fruitful Offshoot hath sprung up for like An angry lion Minuchihr shall come,
;

With

loins girt ready to avenge his sire, Together with the leaders of the troops Such chiefs as Sam the son of Nariman, Garshasp, son of Jamshid and hosts to reach

From
Next

hill to hill,

and trample down the

'

world.'

for their pleading that

the

Shah must wash

His heart from vengeance, and forgive our crime, Because the sky so turned o'er us that wisdom Was troubled, and affection's seat obscured
'
:

have heard

And now No man

'

all the unavailing plea, that patience is fordone I answer that soweth seed of violence

Shall see good days or jocund Paradise.

V. ioi

If ye are

What need

pardoned by All-holy God ye fear about a brother's blood The wise esteem the self-excuser guilty. Revere ye not the glorious Lord of all ?
hearts are black, your
;

Your

tongues speak glozing

words

He will requite you for it in both worlds. And thirdly, since ye sent an ivory throne And torquoise crown on mighty elephants,
With

Am I
!

purses full of divers-coloured gems, to balk revenge, to wash away

sell
?
!

The blood and

the prince's head for gold throne, diadem, and Grace Nay perish Worse than a dragon's offspring is the man
first

l^

Who

taketh

money

for a priceless head.

FARIDUN
Shall any
"
sa,y
:

213

The

sire in his old

age

Is putting price upon his son's dear life ? As for these gifts of yours I need them not.

"

But wherefore utter I so many words ? Your hoary-headed sire will not ungird The loins of his revenge while life endureth.' Thy message have I heard. Hear my reply,
Retain

The messenger grew

And

every whit and get thee gone." pale at this dread speech at the bearing of prince Mimichihr,
it

Leapt up in fear and mounted instantly. The noble, youthful envoy shrewdly saw " Revolving heaven in no long time will furrow
:

The

visages of Tiir

and Salm."

He sped Like rushing wind, his head full of the message, His heart of bodings. When he saw the West,
With camp-enclosures stretched upon the He made his way toward Salm's pavilion
Of painted
silk

plain,

with other tents around,

V. 102
:

Where
"

both kings in conclave. The envoy hath returned."

sat

Word was passed

The chamberlain
Approached and took him to the royal presence. They had a special seat prepared for him

And asked

for tidings of the new-made Shah, Of crown and throne and of Shah Faridun, His host, his warriors, and his dominions,
"

And of the aspect of the turning sky What favour showeth it to Mimichihr ?
:

Who

are the nobles

treasures
"

Who
The

is

minister
?

What

have
"
:

they

Who

hath

charge

thereof ?

The envoy

said

portal of the

Shah

Beholdeth that which bright spring seeth not,

214

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

'tis

For

Where ground

the jocund Spring of Paradise is ambergris and bricks are gold. The roof above his palace is a heaven, And Paradise is in his smiling face.

approached his lofty residence was telling secrets to the stars. On this hand there were lions, and on that Were elephants. The world itself was placed Beneath his throne. Upon his elephants Were seats of gold, and round the lions' necks
I

When

Its roof

Were jewelled

The tymbal-players stood torques. Before the elephants while trumpets blared. Thou wouldst have said The precincts seethe, earth
' :

shouteth

To heaven.'
V. 103

came

before that well-loved Shah,

And saw a lofty turquoise throne where sat A monarch like a moon. Upon his head

He

wore a sparkling ruby coronet. His hair was white as camphor, and his cheeks Were like the petals of the rose. His heart Is full of clemency, his speech is kind He is the hope and fear of all the world. Thou wouldst have said Jamshid doth live again.' A Shoot from that tall Cypress Mimichihr, Like Tahmuras, the Binder of the Div, Sat on the Shah's right hand thou wouldst have said He is the heart and soul of that great Shah.' There Kawa stood, the skilled among the smiths, With one before him well beseen in war His son, Karan by name, the warrior,
;
' :
:

'

The watchful chief, the conqueror of hosts The minister Sarv, monarch of Yaman, The treasurer victorious Garshasp, Were there. The sum within the treasuries
;

Appeareth not.

None

ever saw such greatness.

FARIDUN
Around the palace were two lines of troops With golden maces and with golden helms. Before them there were leaders like Karan, The son of Kawa, that experienced captain,

215

And And

ravening Lions like Shirwi, bold Shapur, the elephantine chief. When on the elephants they bind the drums The air becometh ebon with the dust.
warriors
If these

v. 104

men come
;

to fight
;

us

hill

and plain
revenge

Will be confounded

these

men have
;

At heart their faces frown they purpose war." The envoy having further told the message Of Faridun, those tyrants' hearts grew sore,
Their faces blue as lapislazuli. They sat consulting, but had naught determined

Tur spake thus " Farewell to peace and joy We must not let this hardy lion's whelp Grow bold and sharp of fang. Will such a youth Lack prowess, being taught by Faridun ?

When

When
Some

grandson communeth with grandsire thus

devilry

is sure to come of it. for war and that with speed." then we Prepare hurried out their cavalry and mustered They and Chin, whence hubbub from the West Troops

rose

And all flocked to the kings a multitude Whose star of fortune was no longer young. Two hosts empanoplied marched on t ran With mighty elephants, much precious store, And those two murderers intent on war.

19

How

Faridun

sent

Minuchihr

to fight

Tur and Salm

The Shah was

"

told,

And bade

prince Minuchihr

host hath crossed Jihim," to pass the frontier

216
v. 105

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

thus advising him predestined to be fortunate
desert,
:

Toward the
"

A youth

May happen to ensnare a mountain-sheep While hunters are before and pards behind But having patience, prudence, sense, and wits,
;

He
I

will take

savage lions in his

foes in these

toils,

And now my
would
"

chastise,
"
!

and

closing days wield a sword of fire."

ill

my

said Hinuchihr, "may fate keep For any foe that cometh to attack thee May he betray himself both soul and body. Lo I will don a coat of Human mail To leave no part exposed, and then in quest Of vengeance on the battlefield will send The dust of yon host sunward. None of them Hold I a man dare they contend with me ? "
;
!

Great Shah

ordered that Karan, who loved the fray, Should cross the frontier to the desert, taking

He

The camp-enclosure and the imperial standard. Then as troop followed troop the hills and plains Heaved like the sea, the day was dark with dust. And thou hadst said " The sun is azure-dim."
:

clamour rose enough

to deafen ears

Though keen, the neighing of the Arab steeds Rose high above the tymbals' din. Two lines
Of mighty elephants stretched from the camp For two miles, sixty carried seats of gold Inlaid with gems, three hundred bore the baggage, Three hundred were in iron panoply That hid all but their eyes. They
left

V. 106

Tammfsha

And

bore the camp-enclosure to the waste. Karan the avenger was the general,

The host three hundred thousand cavaliers. The men of name marched mailed, with massive maces,

FARIDUN
All bold as angry lions and
all

217

girded

For vengeance

for 1 raj

their steel-blue swords

Were

hands and Kawa's standard led them. Then Minuchihr with him who loved the fray, 1 Karan, went from the forest of Narwan, Reviewed and ranged his host on those broad plains.
in their

He

gave the army's left wing to Garshasp Upon the right was brave Sam with Kubad,
;

Who

With Sarv was

set the battle in array. in the centre,

Moon-like, or as the sun o'er

The prince whence he shone some high hill.

Led by Karan, with champions such as Sam, The Iranian army fought. Kubad was scout, The heroes of the house of Taliman Were ambuscaders, and the host was decked
In bridal trim with lion-warriors And din of drums.

Men bore the news in haste and Salm " The Iranians armed for fight Are marching toward the desert from the forest, Their livers' blood afoam upon their lips." That pair of murderers with a huge array Set forth intent on vengeance and drew up Their host upon the plain they made the Alans
To
Tiir
: :

And sea their base. Kubad the scout advanced, And Tiir on hearing that came forth like wind, And said to him " Return to Minuchihr And say to him Thou bastard just made Shah What though there was a daughter to fraj,
:

'

v. 107

Hast thou a right

"

to signet, crown, and throne " Yea, I will take thy message." said Kubad,

'

"

In thine own words and style, but thou wilt quake To think hereafter of this monstrous speech.
'Twill not be strange
1

if

even savage beasts

2

Reading with

C.

Cf.

DEI,

ii.

217.

218

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

Bewail you day and night, for from Narwan To Chin are warlike, vengeful cavaliers. A glimpse of our bright swords and Kawa's standard Will make your hearts and brains burst in dismay Ye will not know a valley from a hill."
:

Tur heard and turned away While blest Kubad went back

in silent dudgeon, to Miniichihr

And told the insulting words. The young prince laughed. " None but a fool," he said, " would talk like this.

Him the Lord of both the worlds knoweth all things secret or revealed He knoweth that my grandsire was fraj, As blessed Faridun assureth me, But when I show my person in the fight My birth and prowess will approve themselves.
But
praise to

Who

Now

by the Grace of
his

Him who

ruleth sun

And moon
But show
I will

I will not leave

Tur power to wink, trunkless head to all the host

;

And

avenge my turn his kingdom upside down."

blessed sire

upon him

He
And
issued orders to prepare a feast.

ceased

2O

How
\. 108

Miniichihr attacked the Host of Tar

When

About the

the bright world grew dark and scouts dispersed plain, Karan the warrior

And Sarv
Observed
:

the counsellor, who led the host, " This will be Ahriman's own fight,
l

A
"

day of martial deeds and vengeance-seeking."

men

proclamation issued to the troops of name and Lions of the Shah

:

Reading with

C.

FAR1DUN
Gird up your loins, be vigilant, and may The Almighty guard you. Whosoe'er is
slain
;

219

Will go to Paradise washed clean from sin While they who shed the blood of warriors Of Hiim and Chin, and take their lands, shall have Eternal fame, the Grace of archimages
;

them thrones and diadems, Their chieftain gold and God prosperity. Now when the dawn is breaking and the sun
The Shah
will give

Half risen gird upon your valiant loins Your maces and your daggers of Kabul, Take up your stations and preserve your ranks." The captains of the host, the valiant chiefs,

Drew up

before the lion-prince

"We
Run

are but slaves

Will do his will

and said and live to serve the Shah, and with our swords make earth
:

like Jihun."

They went back

All purposing revenge.

to their tents,

V. 109

Now when
Upheaving
His

night's mid gloom, the prince station at the centre of the host

day broke, assumed

With coat of armour, sword, and Ruman helm. The soldiers shouted lifting to the clouds
Their spears. He duly ordered all the troops, The left, the right, the centre, and the wings.

With heads
rolled

all

anger and with brows

all

frowns

They up earth in marching. It resembled A ship upon the waves and thou hadst said " " It sinketh fast From his huge elephant
: !

He dropped

ball,

The drummers With roar and din

earth heaved like azure sea, marched before the elephants

like lions in their rage,

While from the sounds of pipe and clarion Thou wouldst have said " It is a festival."
:

220

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

The troops moved mountain-like and both hosts shouted. Anon the plain ran blood thou wouldst have said
:

That
V.

tulips sprang up. Mighty elephants Stood as on coral columns in the gore.

no
in

They fought till night, till Minuchihr, who won The love of all, obtained the victory
;

v.

Yet fortune in one stay abideth not, Now honey and now gall make up man's lot. The hearts of Tiir and Salm were deeply moved
grief. They listened for a night-surprise, But no one came e'en when night turned to day,

By

And

they themselves were anxious for delay.

2I

How
Noon

Tiir was Slain by the

Hand

of MiwOchihr

passed.

With vengeful
;

hearts the brothers

met

V. 7i2

For consultation mid their foolish schemes " Let us attempt a night-attack They said And fill the desert and the plain with blood." That night those miscreants drew their army out, Bent on a camisade. The Iranian scouts Gat news thereof, and sped to Minuchihr To tell him so that he might post his troops. That shrewd man heard and planned a counter-ruse. He left Karan the host and led himself An ambuscade with thirty thousand warriors, All men of name. Tiir came at night and brought One hundred thousand men prepared for fight, But found the foe arrayed with banners flying And saw that battle was his sole resource. A shout rose from the centres of the hosts, The horsemen made the air a cloud of dust And steel swords flashed like lightning: thou hadst
:

said

FARIDUN
"

221

They make air blaze, earth gleam like diamonds." The clashing of the steel went through the brain, While flame and blast rose cloudward. Minuchihr Sprang from his ambush and surrounded Tur, Who wheeled and fled mid wailings of despair From his own troops. Prince Minuchihr pursued, Hot for revenge, and cried " Stay, miscreant,
:

V. 113

Who
The

lovest fight so well heads of innocents

!

and cuttest off Know'st not that

"

all

Desire revenge on thee

He

hurled a dart

Against Tur's back, whose sword fell from his grasp. Then Minuchihr like wind unseated him,
Cast him to earth, slew him, cut off his head, And left the body for the beasts of prey
;

Then went back

to his
fall

camp

to contemplate
estate.

That symbol of a

from high

22

How

Mintichihr wrote to Announce his Victory to Faridun

Then Minuchihr wrote to Shah Farfdiin About the war its fortunes good and ill And first he spake of Him who made the world The Lord of goodness, purity, and justice " Praise to the Worldlord who hath succoured us
:

no other helper in their straits. Men He is the Guide, he maketh hearts rejoice
find

v. 114

And changeth

not throughout eternity. Next, praises be to noble Farfdun The lord of crown and mace, possessed of justice, The Faith and Grace, crown and imperial throne.

His fortune is the source of righteousness, His throne of beauty and of excellence.

222

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA CAST

virtue of thy Grace I reached Tiiran, Arrayed the host and fought by day and night

By

Thrice fiercely in two days.

Relied on craft

heard that

Tiir

Designed a night-attack and wanting power

And

left

He

fled,

so I arranged an ambush him nothing but the wind to clutch. I followed, and o'ertaking him
;

Pierced through his armour with a javelin, And took him from his saddle like the wind.
I flung

him
!

as I

And from Which lo

his worthless
I

would a serpent down body smote the head, send my grandsire, and forthwith

Will set about a stratagem for Salm. Since Tiir had placed within a golden casket His royal brother's head in foul contempt, And had no ruth or reverence for him, God,

Who made
r. 115

And And

have

the world, delivered Tiir to me, slain him as he slew Iraj

;

will lay waste his

letter

realm and dwelling-place."

The

done he sent a cameleer,

Who
And

sped like wind with cheeks suffused with hot tears in his eyes for Faridun
;

shame

How
Of

should he like to be the carrier

head to the monarch of Iran ? Though dead sons were perverse their fathers mourn them; But as the crime was great and unprovoked, And as the avenger was both young and brave, The messenger approached with confidence And laid the head of Tiir before the Shah,
Tiir's

Who
On

prayed to God, the righteous Judge, Mimichihr his blessings evermore.

to

pour

FARIDUN

223

23
Horo Kdran took the Castle of the Aldns

News

of the fight and of that Moon's eclipse Reached Salm, who purposed making a retreat

Upon
Such

a lofty castle in his rear

are the ups and

downs which fortune hath Now Mimichihr had thought of this and said " If Salm declineth battle his retreat
:

Will be upon the hold of the Alans, And therefore we must occupy the road, For if he hath the fortress of the sea

V. 116

No

one

will

wrench him from

his foothold there.

It is a place whose head is in the clouds, 'Twas built by cunning from the ocean's depths,

Is furnished well

with treasures manifold

And overshadowed by the eagle's wing. I must make haste to execute my plan And ply both rein and stirrup."
This he told

he knew, would keep the secret. That chief replied " gracious sovereign
Karan, who, as
: !

If to the least of all his warriors

The Shah vouchsafeth

to entrust a host,

I will secure Salm's only gate for combat Or for retreat. For this exploit I need Tur's royal standard and his signet-ring,
will I make a shift to seize the hold And go to-night but keep the matter close." He chose six thousand veterans of name,

Then

Who when the

Upon

sky grew ebon placed the drums

the elephants, and full of fight Set forward toward the sea. Karan resigned The army to Shirwi and said " I go
:

224
v. 117

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Disguised as envoy to the castellan To show to him the signet-ring of Tiir.

When

am

in the castle I will raise

The standard, and will make the blue swords gleam. Approach ye then the hold, and when I shout Make onset and lay on."

He

left

the host

Hard by the hold while he himself advanced, And when he reached the castle told his tale, Showed to the castellan Tur's signet-ring And said " I come from Tiir, who bade me not Go to the castellan Stop to draw breath, and said And say to him " Be watchful day and night,
:

'

Share both in weal and woe, guard well the

castle,

Be

Shah Miniichihr Shall send his troops and standard 'gainst the hold Assist each other, and put forth your strength
vigilant,

and

if

And may
The

ye overthrow the enemy." The castellan heard this and recognised

signet-ring they oped the castle-gates the seeming, but he saw no more.
; :

'

He saw
"

Mark here

the rustic poet's moralising

one but He alone who placed the heart Within can see its secrets. Be our part To labour at the duty of the day So be the good and evil what they may, Mine only duty is to say my say." The castellan re-entered with Karan, Who loved the fight, the guileless with the guileful.

No

This chieftain, though prepared for stratagems, Sealed friendship with a stranger, and in folly Gave both his head and castle to the winds.

He
"

thus addressed his son

son,

a warrior-pard

My

who

art so skilful

and adroit

v.

us

Do

nothing rashly and in ignorance,

FARIDUN
But ponder well and mark from first to last The honied words of one that is a stranger, Especially in times of war and strife. Search well and live in dread of ambuscades, Look deeply whatsoe'er the matter be, And how a chieftain shrewd of intellect, By leaving some small detail unexplored,

225

And May
Set

not considering the foemen's craft, render up his fortress to the winds." At break of day Karan, who loved the fight,
;

up a standard like the moon full-orbed He shouted and made signals to Shirwi And his exalted chiefs. Shirwi perceiving
The
royal standard

made toward

the hold,

Seized on the gate, threw in his troops and crowned The chiefs with blood. Here was Karan and there
Shirwi, the sword above, the sea below.

By noon the castle's form and Had vanished. Thou couldst

castellan's

see a cloud of smoke,

cries

But ship and castle were invisible. Fire blazed, wind blew, rose horsemen's shouts and For help. At sunset hold and plain were level,

And

twice six thousand of the foe were slain.

And

pitchy reek rose o'er a pitchy shore all the surface of the waste ran gore.

24

How

Kdkici, the

Grandson of Zahhdk, attacked

the Iranians

"

Karan returned and told the prince, who said May horse and mace and saddle ne'er lack thee.
:

V. 119

When

thou hadst gone another host approached,

battle-loving chief,

Led by a young and

226

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

and
called, I hear,

A grandson of Zahhak,
Kakwi
an
infidel

with haughty horsemen

And men of name a hundred thousand strong, And slaughtered many of our lion-warriors.
Salm now is bent on fight since this ally Hath come to help him from Gang-i-Dizhhukht. 1

They

tell me that he is a warlike div, In battle unappalled and strong of hand. I have not reached him in the combat yet, Nor ta'en his measure with the warriors' mace, But when he cometh next to fight with us

I will essay

him and
"
:

will try his weight."

!

Karan
In battle

O prince who can confront thee replied If he were a pard his skin ?

Would

burst

Who is

upon him at the thought of fight. Kakwi ? What is Kakwi ? Thy foes
I will devise

Will never play the man.

shrewd device in this emergency That none like vile Kakwi may ever come Henceforth to fight us from Gang-i-Dizhhukht."

V. 120

The noble prince replied " Be not concerned. Thou art exhausted with thy late exploit,
:

Thy marching and revenge it is my turn To do the fighting breathe awhile, great chief The din of trump and pipe arose without,
; :

"
!

The tymbals sounded and the horsemen's dust Made air pitch-black and earth like ebony. Thou wouldst have said " These Diamonds have " These maces and these javelins have tongues Shouts rose around and arrows fledged the air Like vulture's wings, blood grouted hand to hilt
.

life,

And
"

spurted from the

said
:

murk; thou wouldst have

The earth

will rise in
1

waves and whelm the sky."

Zahhdk's old capital.

FARID^JN

227

Kakwi the

chieftain raised the battle-shout

And came
Advanced

forth like a div, while Miniichihr with Indian sword in hand. Both raised
" These chiefs are elephants. both bent on vengeance."

cry that rent the hills and frayed the hosts.

said
girt,
:

Thou wouldst have

Both
terrible,

both

Kakwi thrust

at the girdle of the prince,

:

Whose Human helmet shook

his mail was rent

Down
The

to the belt so that his waist appeared.

v. 121

prince's falchion struck Kakwi's cuirass

And

by the neck, and thus they fought Till noon like pards and puddled earth with blood.
clove
it

As day declined the prince, sufficed with tight, Reached out and gripping firmly with his legs
Caught with all ease the girdle of Kakwi, Dragged from his steed his elephantine form, Flung him upon the burning sand and gashed His chest and bosom with the scimitar. Thus went that Arab to the winds a prey His mother bare him for so ill a day
; !

25

How Salm

fled

and was Slain by

the

Hand

of Minuchihr

Kakwi being dead, the master of the West, Whose stay was broken, ceased to seek revenge And sought to gain his stronghold in his flight, But when he reached the sea saw not a spar
Of any vessel
there.

Though clogged by

killed

The Iranian host, and wounded on the

all

plain,

Pursued apace, while Miniichihr,

wrath
mail

And vengeance, cast his fleet white charger's And pressed on till within the foemen's dust And hard upon the king of Rum he cried
:

228
"
v. 122

THE SHAHtfAMA OF FIRDA USI

art guilty of the blackest crime,
!

Thou who

Who

murderedst thy brother for his crown Hast thou obtained it ? Whither wilt thou flee I bring thee now, O king a crown and throne The royal Tree hath come to bearing fruit.
!

Faridiin Fly not the throne of greatness Hath got a new throne ready for thine use. The tree which thou hast planted beareth now,
!

And thy

breast shall receive the produce of If thorns, the tree was planted by thyself
;

it

If painted silk, the

weaving was thine own."

his steed along

As thus he spake he urged

And And

in another

moment

overtook

clave the king asunder from the neck,

Then bade the head be set upon a spear, While all admired his might and warlike arm.
Salm's troops were scattered like a flock by snow

And wandered aimlessly in companies Amid the wastes, the caverns, and the

hills.

On their behalf: " We are thy subjects all And only tread the earth to do thy will. Among us there are some possessed of herds, And some of tilth and palaces. To fight Was not our interest but our king's command

They bade one wary, wise, and eloquent To go to Mimichihr forthwith and say

We We
v. 123

came

as soldiers, not to seek revenge. are the Shah's slaves now and bow our heads

he willeth Revenge and bloodshed we can but submit. We all are guiltless and we all come in, So let him do as seemeth good to him, For he is master of our guiltless lives." Thus spake the sage, the chief in wonder answered " I cast my passions and exalt my name.

To do

his will

and

pleasure.

If

FARIDtlN

229
;

What
Be The
all

is

Ahriman's and evil such banished from my sight, and

not God's
is

may
all

divs be punished for their sins. Are either foes or friends and mine

Ye

allies,

But innocent and

Since

guilty both are spared

victory.

God hath given us

Tis the day

Of justice, wrong hath ceased, the leaders' heads Are safe from falling now. Seek brotherhood

And

charm, put off from you of war, be wise and pure In Faith, secure from ill, and banish vengeance.
use
it

for a

The implements

Now

in your dwellings wheresoe'er they be, In Chin, Turan, or in the land of Rum, Let all the virtues form your pedestal And be your homes those of enlightened minds."

The

And " Ye

great chiefs praised that noble, upright prince, proclamation issued from his tent
: !

paladins whose counsel prospereth Shed no more needless blood, the tyrants' fortunes Are overthrown." Then all the troops of Chin Fell prostrate, brought their arms and gear of war To Minuchihr, and as they passed him piled A mountain of horse-armour, helms, and breastplates, Of maces and of Indian scimitars, While Minuchihr the chieftain graciously Entreated each one as his rank might be.

V. 124

26

How

the

Head

of Salm was sent

to

Fariddn

The hero called a courier, gave to him The head of Salm, the monarch of the West,

And wrote to tell his grandsire of the fight And strategy, first giving God the praise

230

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

then the Shah
lord
"
:

And

Praise to the conquering Worldblessing

From whom are virtue, power, and Grace His Is now on Faridun, that wise, brave Shah,
!

Who

And hath

hath released us from the bonds of ill, the wisdom and the Grace of God.

We

are avenged

upon the

cavaliers
for their lives.

Of Chin.

We

lay in

ambush
off those

Strong in the
v. 125

Shah with our avenging

scimitars

We smote the heads

Lo
I

unrighteous men,
;

Who both were reeking with f raj's blood We purged the surface of the earth with
!

steel.

am coming
and

like the

wind behind

My

letter,

will tell thee all that passed."

He

sent Shirwi, the aspiring veteran,

:

Back to the hold, and said " Explore the booty, Act as thou seest best, and take the Shah The spoil upon high-crested elephants." He bade the drummers and the pipers fare Forth from the royal tent, and from that hold In Chin marched inland back to Faridun. As he approached Tammisha on his way His grandsire longed to look at him. The blast Of clarions ascended from the gate, The host began to march out. Faridun, That man of wakeful fortune, decked the backs Of all the elephants with turquoise thrones, And golden litters with brocade and gems. A world of banners, yellow, red, and blue, Waved overhead. The host marched toward Sari, Like black clouds from the waters of Gilan, With golden bridles and with golden girdles, With silvern stirrups and with golden bucklers, With treasures, elephants, and precious stores, In readiness to welcome Miniichihr.

FARIDUN

231

Now

as that prince approached the royal host His grandsire went afoot to welcome him,

As did the men of Gil like lions loose, With torques of gold and helmets black as musk. The Iranians followed on behind the Shah, Each like a savage lion, troops went first, The elephants and lions in the midst, Behind the elephants more valiant troops.

V. 126

Whenas the flag of Faridiin appeared The host of Minuchihr deployed in line.
That youthful
Its earliest fruits,

prince, that sapling just producing dismounted from his steed.

He kissed the ground and blessed the monarch's throne, His diadem and crown and signet-ring,
But Faridiin commanded him to mount, Kissed him and grasped his hand.

Then Faridun
Returning home sent word to Sam, the son Of Nariman " Come presently," for Sam Had come from Hindustan to help to fight
:

Against the sorcerers, and brought withal

A mighty store of gold and precious things Above whate'er the Shah required of him Such myriads of jewels and dinars That no accountant could have reckoned them. Sam, when he reached the monarch of the world, Saluted both the old Shah and the young. The famous monarch seated Sam beside him, The great king seated the great paladin,
And
For
said
I
"
:

put

my

grandsire in thy charge,

must now

And make him show

depart. Help him in all a prowess like thine own."

The great Shah lightly laid the young man's hand In that world-paladin's, looked up and said " Just Judge who sayest sooth Almighty God
:
!

232
V. 127

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Thou saidst: 'I am the Almighty, the just Judge, The Help of the oppressed in their distress.' Right hast Thou done me, Thou hast holpen me

And God

given
!

me

both crown and signet-ring.

;

Now

hast granted me my whole desire take me to the other world a better

Thou

Than this because I would not that my soul Should tarry longer in this narrow sphere." Shirwi the chieftain with the spoils approached The palace of the Shah, who lavished all The booty on the troops.

He

gave directions,

Two days ere Mihr, for Mimichihr to sit Helmed on the throne of gold, with his own hands
Crowned the young
prince,

and gave his

last

commands.

27

The Death of Faridun

This done, the great king's day and fortune changed, The leafage withered on the royal tree
;

He

quitted crown and throne and with the heads Of those three kings beside him lived in tears

And
"

in austerities

My Who
Thus

days are

was this and darkened changed by these three, were my heart's delight and grief withal,
:

his plaint

slain before

me

miserably, in hatred,

And

would wish. Such ills befell them my their Through perversity and evil deeds They disobeyed me and the world frowned on them." His heart was full, his face all tears till death. Though Faridun is gone there is his name Still left through all the years that have passed by
as foes
;

FARIDUN

233
v. 128

He

was,

my

son

all

excellence and fame

One who found profit in adversity. Then Mimichihr put off the royal crown,

He girt a blood-stained girdle round his loins, And reared a charnel as the Shahs were wont
Of ruddy gold and lapislazuli. They placed a throne of ivory within And hung a crown above it, visited The dead to say farewell, as was the use

And

ritual,
ill

then shut the charnel-door

In such

case that dear one left the world

to grief,

One sennight Minuchihr gave up

His eyes were
full of tears, his

cheeks were

pale,

And

for a sennight city

and bazar

Were mourning with

world which art

The man of Thou fosterest each one with thy caress, No matter if his life be more or less, But when thou wiliest to revoke the trust

mourning sovereign. wind and levity wisdom hath no joy of thee.

all
!

their

What reckest thou of coral or of dust Man when the world hath snapped in
?
!

twain the cord

thou liege or lord, and pleasures as a dream appear V ex not thy heart then to continue here. Blest is the man who, whether king or thrall, Bequeatheth good as his memorial
this world for thee, be
griefs

Of

Thy

VII

MINtfCHIHR
HE REIGNED ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
YEARS

ARGUMENT
After describing the accession of Minuchihr, the poet proceeds to the story of Zal, the son of Sam, how, being born with white hair, he was in consequence exposed by his father on Mount Alburz, how he was found and brought up by the Simurgh, how in after years he and his father became reconciled, and how he The poet also tells of the loves of Zal and rose to greatness. Rudaba, the daughter of Mihrab, the idolatrous king of Kabul, the wrath of Minuchihr thereat, his ultimate consent to the union, and the birth of Rustam, with an account of whose first adventures, and of the death of Minuchihr, the reign concludes.
tell

NOTE
The story, which occupies the reign of Minuchihr, in whose name, which means " offspring of Manu," 1 we can still trace a connection between Indian and Iranian mythology, between the Vedas and the Zandavasta, is perhaps the most charming in the whole poem and here first the stream of epic, hitherto confined and cramped, breaks out into broad waters, and carries us to the heroic race who play such an important part throughout the first the mythic period of the poem. We have already seen how the titles bestowed on the great hero Keresaspa became separate personalities in later times, 2 and in this reign we have one of his most
;

Manushchithra

in the Zandavasta.

For Manu see prefatory note

to Jamshid.
2

See introductory note to

FarSdi'in.

MINUCHIHR
.

235

famous feats recorded as an exploit of Sam, the son of Nariman the The legend appears to have slaying of the dragon of the Kashaf become localised in the neighbourhood of the poet's own birthplace, Tus, by which the Kashaf flows, and the dragon may be typical of the periodical floods the prevention of which is said to have been an object which the poet had at heart. 1 The feature of Sam's mace is reproduced from the earlier legend, where
Keresaspa
is

Roc of the Arabian Nights, which plays such an important part in the legend of Zal and of his son Rustam, is described in the Bundahish as " the griffon of three natures." 3 It appears to have been conceived of as a sort of gigantic bat. 4 The Bundahish, in its account of birds, says " There are two of them which have milk in the teat and suckle their young, the griffon bird, and the bat which as they say that the bat is created of three flies in the night races (sarrfak), the race (ayina) of the dog, the bird, and the musk, animal ; for it flies like a bird, has many teeth like a dog, and is dwelling in holes like a musk-rat." 5 The Simurgh was the first bird created, 6 and its nest was on the tree of wild vegetable life which grew in the wide ocean near to the tree of immortality. Upon the former tree collect all the seeds which plants have produced during the year, and the office of the Simurgh was to shake the tree and scatter the seeds, which were then collected by another mythical bird, called Chamrosh, which had its nest on the summit of Mount Alburz and protected Iran from invasion. This bird mingled the seeds with the rains, which the good genius Tishtar (Sirius) had rescued from the demons, with a view of pouring them on the earth the purport of the legend was to account for the rapid vegetation in hot climates." The poet appears to have combined some of the characteristics of several mythical birds the Chamrosh, the Karshipta, and also of the Varew/ana or raven in his account of the Simurgh. The
: ; ;

The gigantic mythical

described as "bludgeon-bearing." 2 bird, the Simurgh, the

magical or medicinal efficacy of the raven's feathers is recognised " Zarathustra asked in the Zandavasta, where we read Ahura Mazda If I have a curse thrown upon me, a spell told upon me Ahura by many men who hate me, what is the remedy for it ? Take thou a feather of that bird the Mazda answered
:

'

'

'

C,

liv.

Sih (three), ayina (kind or sort),

MZA, iii. 234. murgh (bird) = Simurgh. WPT,

s

i.

47, 89, 91.

4 6

WPT,

il

71.
7

Id. 50.

Id. 89.

Id. 70,

and

iii.

112.

236
Varenf/ana, shalt rub thy

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

With that feather thou Spitama Zarathustra own body, with that feather thou shalt curse back If a man holds a bone of that strong bird, or a
!

thy enemies.

feather of that strong bird, no one can smite or turn to flight that fortunate man. The feather of that bird of birds brings him help it brings unto him the homage of men, it maintains him in
;

his glory."

With regard
on the occasion

to the account of the employment of anaesthetics of the Csesarean birth of Rustam, we find another

instance of their employment by of the Creation in the Bundahish.

creation of

Urmuzd

himself in the account

broke into the the Primeval Ox, we read that Urmuzd had previously ground up healing fruits in water for it, that its death might be the less painful. 2 Similarly we read in Genesis that the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. The earliest reference to Rustam in literature appears to be an indirect one in the Kur'an. 3 He is also mentioned in the

When Ahriman

Urmuzd and attacked

work that passes under the name

si

of

Moses

of

Chorene

"
:

Age

vero, vanaque de eo mendacia declarabo, qualia Persae de Restomo Sazico memorant, quern elephantis viribus fuisse superiorem tradunt. De hujus pariter robore & fortitudinem ea celebrant, quae a similitudine veri longissime absunt, quern sane neque Samsoni, neque Herculi, nee Sazico fabulae istae conferunt. Canunt et enim quadrata eum saxa manibus prehendere potuisse, & ad arbitrium suum, magna aeqvie ac parva, divellere,
placet, vilia

CXX

unguibusque abradere, &,

aliaque

cum

tabula, aquilarum figuras, Qui ejus generis effingere atque unguibus inscribe re apud magni maris Pontici litus hostiles quasdam naves
:

velut in

offendisset, impetum in eas fecit, quas in altum octo aut decem circiter stadia provectas, ubi consequi non potuit, globosis eas

quorum conjectu aquae, ut aiunt, tantopere fluctuum diffindebantur, ut naves non paucae demersae fuerint, vis, aquarum fissura altius surgentium reliquas naves multos mille passus propulerit. Proh ingens fabula, aut potius, fabularum
lapidibus incessit,

&

fabula."

Malcolm identifies the castle on Mount Sipand taken by Rustam with a famous stronghold, known on account of its appearance as " the White Castle," situated in the province of Pars, about " on a high bill that is seventy-six miles north-west of Shiraz, is of oblong form, and on It side. almost perpendicular every
i 3 4

DZA, ii. 240. RK, p. 284.

WPT,

i.

18.

Cf.

NIN,

p. 10.

Whiston, Mosis Chorenensis, 96.

MINUCHIHR

237

encloses a level space at the top of the mountain, which is covered with delightful verdure, and watered by numerous springs. The ascent is nearly three miles ; for the last five or six hundred yards the summit is so difficult of approach that the slightest opposition, if well directed, must render it impregnable ... In 810 it -was ... in possession of the tribe of Mumasenni, one of the aboriginal tribes of Persia. Their means of defence were probably a line of large stones still the same as in the days of Roostum ranged in regular order around the edges of the precipice. Each stone is wedged in by a smaller when that is removed, the
1 :
:

large stone, or rather rock, l thing before it."

is

hurled down, and sweeps every-

'
'

-'."'
seven days,
forth
V. 129

How

Minuchihr ascended

the

Throne and made an Oration

They mourned

for Faridiin for

Upon the eighth Shah Minuchihr came And set the royal cap upon his head
;

He countercharmed the And reigned twice sixty

spell of sorcerers

The paladins years. the world called praises down on him. Throughout When he assumed the crown he gave the world
Glad news
of justice, Faith,

humanity,
:

Of goodness, knowledge, purity, and said " I sit enthroned upon the circling sphere, Dispensing love and justice, wrath and strife. Earth is my thrall, heaven mine ally, the heads Of kings my quarry. Mine are Faith and Grace, Mine to bestow good fortune and to harm. I wreak revenge by night; the raging fire 2 Upon Barzin am I, and lord of scimitar

And And

golden boot. I set up Kawa's standard light the clouds, I draw my sword and give

No

quarter on the battlefield.

My hands
fire.

Become a bounteous ocean when I feast, But when I mount my steed my breath is
1

MHP,

i.

19,

and

note.

The name

of a Fire-temple.

238

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

I cut the practice of the

wicked short

And make
V. 130
~

I wield the

the earth a red brocade of blood, mace, I illustrate the crown

;

And
Yet

light the kingdom from mine ivory throne in despite of all I am a slave

servant of the

Maker

of the world.

Smite we our faces with our hands and weep, Let all our conversation be of God, Of whom we hold the crown, the throne, and host We give Him praise and He is our defence. We tread the path of Faridun the blest Our grandsire he was old, but we are young.
:

Whoever

in the seven climes of earth

Departeth from the Way, abandoneth The Faith, inflicteth hurt on mendicants, Oppresseth any one of his own kin, Uplifteth in the pride of wealth his head, Or causeth sorrow to the suffering, All such are infidels in my regard And worse than evil-doing Ahriman. All evil-doers that hold not the Faith Are banned by God and us hereafter we
:

Will put our hand upon the scimitar, And in our vengeance desolate their realm." All men of name throughout the earth invoked Their blessings on him with one voice, and said
:

"

Thy

glorious grandsire,

benignant Shah

Taught thee the conduct of the throne and crown. Be ever thine the throne of mighty men, The crown and archimages' Grace. Our hearts

Obey thy word, our

V. 131

souls are pledged to thee."

Thereat rose Sam, the chief of paladins, And said to Minuchihr " O judge most just
:

from the Shahs have gotten eyes

see thee just:

to see,

And

my

part

is

to applaud.

MINUCHIHR
Shah of Iran art thou by long descent The chosen of the Lions and the brave. May God watch o'er thy body and thy soul,

239

Thy heart be glad, thy fortune slumber not. Thou mindest me of days of yore and art

My

place of shelter at the royal throne.

Thou art a lion steadfast in the fight, Thou art a sun resplendent in the feast. Be time and earth the dust upon thy feet,
place upon the turquoise throne. Since thou Hast cleansed earth with thine Indian scimitar

Thy

Sit at thine ease and take thy pleasure here. Henceforward all the warfare is for us Thine are the throne, the wine-cup, and the banquet. The fathers of my race were paladins The shelter of the Shahs and of the great And from Garshasp to famous Nariman Were chiefs and swordsmen. I will compass earth
;

And
Thy

put a scantling of thy foes in bonds.

grandsire made me paladin, thy love counsel made me wise."

And
His

The Shah returned

praise,

And And

then
all

Sam

bestowing many a kingly gift, with the paladins withdrew

so departed

While

on his homeward way, the world conformed to righteous sway.

8 2

The Birth of Zdl

Now

from the legend-store wonder from the days of yore Give me thine ear, my son and learn from How Sam became the sport of destiny.
will I fashion

tale of

me

2 4o

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

was
childless

V. 132

Now Sam
In need of

and

in that regard

One among his wives A Beauty rosy-cheeked with musky hair Gave him the hope of offspring, for that Moon
solace.

Was sun-faced, ripe, and was with child by him, And grievously she suffered with her burden. When many days had passed the babe was born

Beauty
like
all

like the world-illuming sun,

it

And
But

too in loveliness of face

was white, and since 'twas so They kept the thing from Sam for one whole week The women of that famous paladin
his hair

Wept

in the presence of the little child,

But not one dared to tell the hero Sam That his fair spouse had borne a hoary babe.

Anon the infant's nurse, with lion's courage, Came unabashed before the paladin, As one who brought good news, blessed him and
said
"
:

May Sam the hero's days be fortunate, And may his foemen's hearts be rooted out
God hath bestowed on
The very
:

thee what thou didst ask

gift whereon thy soul was set Behind thy curtain, seeker after glory Thy moon-faced spouse hath borne a stainless
!

son,

A paladin, a child of lion-heart, A boy of spirit, fashioned of pure

And

silver,

with two cheeks that favour Paradise. Thou wilt not see a faulty part in him Except this blemish that his hair is white.
seeker after glory So heaven willed, Content thee and be not morose and thankless." The horseman Sam descended from his throne He went behind the curtain to " Young Spring," And saw a goodly boy with hoary head.
!

MINUCHItfR

241

None hath beheld

or heard of such

his hair
V. 133

Resembled snow and yet his cheeks were ruddy. Sam at that sight despaired. Great was his fear

Of coming shame he left the path of wisdom For courses of his own, looked up to heaven
;

And prayed
"

to be forgiven his offence.

"

Thou," he

said,

Good ever cometh

If I

of

above all harm and loss Thine ordinance.

have sinned by any grievous sin, Or yielded to the faith of Ahriman, Oh may the Almighty hearken to my prayer
!

And

in

His secret counsels pardon me.

mind is writhing for sheer shame, The hot blood is a-tingle in my veins

My

troubled

For

this brat like a brat of

Ahriman,

With dark

eyes and with hair like jessamine. When any nobles come to speak with me, And set their eyes on this ill-omened cub, What shall I say that this div's bantling is

A fay or leopard
Will laugh at
Till

shame

The great its spots ? in public and in private shall make me curse and quit Iran."
with

me

He

spake hi wrath with frowns and railed at

fortune,

child and carry it Beyond those fields and fells and far away. There was a certain mountain named Alburz, Nigh to the sun and far removed from men, Where the Simurgh had nested, for the place

Then bade some take the

Was

uninhabited.

They

left

the child

Upon

the mountain and returned.

Time

passed,

While for no fault the infant paladin, Unable to distinguish black from white, Was outcast from his father's love but He,
;

Who

fostereth

all,

took up the castaway.

242
v. 134 "

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

lioness her

Once when the

cub had

fed,

If I should give thee heart's blood," she said, " I should not look for thanks. I live in thee

my
if

My heart

would break

thou shouldst break with

rne."

Throughout the expanse of earth the beasts we find More tender to their young than are mankind.

The babe remained where thrown, exposed both day

And

He sucked his finger-ends and wailed. the young Simurghs grew ravenous The mother, soaring o'er her nest, beheld Earth like a heaving sea, and wailing there
night.

Now when
A

child rock-cradled with the dust for nurse, His body bare, his lips unwet with milk, The dark drear soil about him and above The noonday sun. Would that he had had pards For dam and sire, he had at least been shaded The Lord gave loving instincts to that fowl, Which thought not to devour the child herself, But swooped down from the clouds and with her
!

talons

Took up the infant from the heated rocks, Then bare him quickly off' to Mount Alburz, Where were her nest and young, for them to
Regardless of his cries but God, who giveth All good, had ruth on him, his lot was other ;
;

tear

v. 135

That

For when the fowl and all her brood beheld infant, who was weeping tears of blood, They lavished love on him in wondrous wise, Astonied at his goodly face. The bird Chose for him all the tenderest prey, and made Her little guest suck blood instead of milk. Long was he lost to sight but when he came To man's estate a caravan passed by And saw one like a noble cypress-tree, His breast a silver mount, his waist a reed,
;

M1NUCHIHR
And rumour of him
Heard

243

Nor bad remaineth hid

spread, for neither good so Sam in fine

;

of that high-starred

youth of Grace divine.

How Sam had

a Dream touching the Case of his Son

One night when Sam was sleeping, seared in heart And overwhelmed by that which time had wrought, He dreamed that from the land of Ind there came

A noble rider

on an Arab steed and Apace, gave him glad news of his son That lofty bough of his of fruitful promise. When he awoke he called the archimages, Conversed with them at large, told them his dream

And of the gossip of the caravans " What say ye," said he, " touching
:

this affair

Is

it a fair presumption to your minds That this child liveth, or hath winter's cold Or summer's heat destroyed him ? " Old and young There present answered thus the paladin
:

v. 136

"

Ingrates to God experience good in naught For pards and lions on the sands and rocks, And fish and crocodiles in waterways, All cherish their own little ones and give God thanks but thou didst break the covenant With Him who giveth good, and cast away
;

An
Say

Which shameth not

'

innocent because of his white hair, a body pure and bright.

not,

The child is dead,' but gird thyself ever persevere in quest of him, Since one whom God regardeth will not die

And

Of heat

or cold.

And now

in penitence

244

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Incline to

Him

the Author of

all

good,

The Guide."
So next day and in sore distress Alburz, and when night came ill at ease. saw a standard raised He Slept Above the Indian mountains, and a youth Of beauteous visage with a mighty host, Upon his left an archmage, on his right A sage of noble aspect. Of these twain One came to Sam and said in chilling tones " Audacious man and impious in thine aims Is there no fear of God before thine eyes ?

Sam went

to

Mount

If to thy

mind a
it

bird

is

nurse enough

What

to be a paladin ? If white hair be a blemish in a man

booteth

V. 137

Thy beard and head have grown like willow-leaves God gave thee such and such things why hast thou By thine injustice frustrated the gift ?
! :

Abhor thy Maker

then, for

day by day

Thy Thy
The

body changeth hue. Thou didst despise son, who is the fosterling of God
kindliest
is

Nurse

for

him.

As

for thyself,

Love

not in thee."

Sam
is

As when a mighty lion He feared that dream portended chastisement

;

roared out in sleep ensnared

From destiny. Aroused, he called to him The men of lore and bade the chiefs to horse.

He came in To seek his

haste toward the mountain-peak castaway, and there beheld

:

A height

whose top was midst the Pleiades

said
"
:

Thou wouldst have

stars."

It

will

obstruct

the

Upon the top was built a Where Saturn's influence

lofty nest,

could not injure

it

MINUCHIHR
Tall posts of ebony and sandal-wood

245

Laced with lign-aloe stayed it underneath. Sam gazed in wonder on that stony peak, On that majestic bird and weird abode. The building reached to Spica, and was raised Without hand-labour, with no stones and earth.

A youth stood there Who watched him as

the counterpart of Sam, he walked about the nest, Then laid his cheeks upon the ground, and gave Thanks to the Maker, in that He had made Such bird upon the mountain, and had raised
Its stony

summit
:

to the Pleiades,

" He is a righteous Judge, Acknowledging All powerful and higher than the high." He sought to find a path or any track

Whereby

And walked around

But saw no way
"

the wild beasts scaled the precipice the mountain giving thanks,
;
:

He exclaimed to climb it. above all place, o'er sun and moon And shining rainbow I prostrate myself Before Thee, pouring out my soul in awe.

O Thou

V. 138

If this

Not from the seed

youth springeth from my loins indeed, of evil Ahriman,

Assist thy servant to ascend this height And show me mercy, sinful as I am."

When
Came

Thus prayed he to the Just his prayer was granted. the Simurgh looked from the height and saw Sam with his company, she knew that they
:

To whom she said Of nide and nest

!

not for love of her but for the youth, " Thou who hast seen the unease
:

the only nurse That fostered thee, the source of all thy weal, And gave to thee the name Dastan-i-Zand, 1
I

am

Because thy
1

sire dealt

with thee treacherously

I.e.

" much defrauded," in allusion to Sdm's treatment of his son.

246

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Command thy valiant guide to call thee so When thou returnest home. Thy sire is Sam,
The
hero, paladin of paladins,

And most exalted of the mighty men. He hath come hither searching for his son, And with him high estate hath come to thee,

Now must
Unscathed

take thee

up and bear thee back

to him."

He

listened while she spake,

His eyes were filled with tears, his heart was sad. Though he had seen no man, still he had learned Of her to speak in accents like her own, With much of wisdom and of ancient lore Thus had he language, wisdom, and right rede,
;

And
.

looked to

God

for succour.
"
:

Now

observe

His answer

to the fowl

Hast thou in truth

V. 139

Become aweary of my company ? Thy nest is unto me a shining throne, Thy pinions are my glorious diadem, And next to God I owe my thanks to thee,
For thou hast turned
:

my

hardship into ease."

The bird replied " If once thou dost behold The crown, the throne, and doings of the court, This nest will seem to thee of small account.

Make but one

I

trial of

the ways of
in
I

fate.
;

enmity would fain Have kept thee here with me, but for thyself To go is better. Bear this plume of mine About with thee and so abide beneath The shadow of my Grace. Henceforth if men Shall hurt or, right or wrong, exclaim against thee, Then burn the feather and behold my might, For I have cherished thee beneath my plumes
I pass thee to a kingship.

do not send thee hence

And brought

thee up

among my

little

ones.

MINUCHIHR

247

Now
And

like a black cloud will I bear thee off

carry thee to yonder spot uninjured. Let not thy heart forget to love thy nurse,

For mine is breaking through my love of thee." She thus consoled his heart, then took him up, Bore him with stately motion to the clouds,

And swooping down conveyed him

The youth had

to his sire.

hair descending to his breast,

An

elephantine form and cheeks like spring. His father seeing him groaned bitterly,
to the bird,

Then quickly did obeisance

And
"

praises o'er and o'er. " of he the righteous Judge birds," said, queen Gave thee thy power and might and excellence,
offered thanks

and

That thou shouldst be the helper of the helpless, And in thy goodness justest of the just. May'st thou for ever make thy foes to grieve And always be as mighty as thou art." With that the bird, watched by the eyes of Sam

And

company, soared rnountainward. on the youth from head to foot Adjudged him fit for crown and throne he had A lion's breast and limbs, a sunlike face,
all

his

He gazing

v. 140

The heart of paladins, a hand to seek The scimitar, white lashes but with eyes Pitch-coloured, coral lips and blood-red cheeks.
Except his hair there was no fault
at all
flaw.
;

None

could discern in

him another
;

Sam's heart became like Paradise he blessed His stainless child. "Have no hard thoughts," he
said,

Forget the past and warm thy heart with love Toward me the meanest of the slaves of God.

"

Henceforth since I have thee

swear by

Him

I will not fail in gentleness to thee,

248

THE fHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

will fulfil
:

thy wishes good and bad Henceforth thy will shall be my rule of right." He clothed the young man like a paladin

But

turned to leave the mountain having reached The plain he chose a charger for his son, As well as royal robes for him to wear,
:

And

And gave

to

him the name

of Zal-i-Zar, 1

Though the Siinurgh called him at first Dastan. Then all the troops with gladness in their hearts Sought Sam. The drummers led on elephants, And dust rose like a mount of indigo. There was a sound of drums and clarions, Of golden gongs and Indian bells, while all The horsemen shouted. Thus they journeyed home
Until
all

joyfully they passed within

The

city, greater

by one paladin.

How
"

Mintichihr took Knowledge of the Case of

Sam and Zdl

returned in triumph from Alburz Such tidings from Zabul came to the Shah,

Sam hath

"
!

Who joyed
V. 141

exceedingly

the Maker's

name

Was

two sons, lips. Both well beloved, one hight Naudar, the other Zarasp, both brave and wise, and both endowed With Grace and Faith, both like Azargashasp Upon the plain. He said: "Let famed Naudar Go with despatch to Sam and look upon His child that hath been nurtured in a nest, Congratulate him on the Shah's behalf Upon the joy that hath revealed itself;
1

often on his

He had

I.e.

"

Zil the old," in allusion to his white hair.

MINtiCHIHR

249

And
To

bid

him come

in person to the

Shah

tell his tale,

and afterwards depart

Home

like a loyal liege."

Now when Naudar

Reached Sam the son of Nariman he saw The new young paladin. Then Sam the horseman Alighted, and Naudar and he embraced. Sam asked about the Shah and chiefs, Naudar Delivered all their greetings. Sam, on hearing The message of the great king, kissed the ground,

And

hasted as

commanded

to the court.

When
"

he drew near the Shah went out

to

meet him.
said
:

Sam saw the flag of Mimichihr, dismounted And went afoot. He kissed the ground and
"
!

For ever live glad and of ardent soul But Mimichihr bade that true-hearted man, That worshipper of God, to mount again. They went toward the palace Mimichihr Sat down with great rejoicing on the throne, And placed the royal crown upon his head. On this side sat Karan, on that side Sam, Both glad and well content. The chamberlain Approached with stately step and brought in Zal, Equipped with golden mace and golden crown.
;

V. 142

The Shah marked with amaze that

lofty stature

And goodly
"

"

face,

the abode," as thou wouldst say,

Of

life

and

love."

He

said

to

Sam

"
:

Safeguard

him
For

my
find

But

sake, never give him needless pain, thy happiness in him alone,

For he hath royal Grace and lion's claws, The wise man's heart, the prudence of the old. Teach him our customs both in war and feast Bird, nest, and height he knoweth can he know What honour and court-usages demand ?."
; ;

250

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDA USI

Then Sam told all the story to the Shah About the lofty mountain and Sfmurgh, And how the precious one was lodged and nurtured Within the nest till he could feed himself; Told wherefore he had cast the child away, And said thus " Heaven revolved above my head For many years the world at length was filled With strange reports of Zal and the Simurgh. Commanded by the Lord of all the world I went to Mount Alburz no easy place
:
;

And saw

a mountain-peak
'

among
It is

the clouds

Thou wouldst have said The nest Upon a sea

' !

dome
tall

of flint

like

some

palace
side,

Was

there, well fenced from

harm on every
of the
'

With Zal and with the young

Within
it
: :

Simurgh
brood.'

thou hadst said They are one the His breath exhaled very scent of love,
143

And every thought of him rejoiced my heart. Oft ran I round the Mount but path was none

A yearning for my lost son came to me My heart burned so that life was well-nigh
;

gone.

prayed in secret to the holy Judge Resource of men, without a want Thyself Thy witness doth extend to every place, And heaven turneth only at Thy word.
I
' :

whose heart is full of sin Before the Master of the sun and moon
I,

A slave am
My

hope is in Thy mercy that alone I have no other ground of confidence. This slave of Thine the fostered of the fowl Brought up in misery and wretchedness, Who hath but skins to wear instead of silk And sucketh raw flesh, not his mother's breast
:

Restore to

me

Disclose for

me

way

To him and

cut this present trouble short.

MINUCHIHR
Sear not
!

251
;

my

soul for

my

defect in love

Oh pardon me this once and cheer my heart.' When I had spoken thus, the Lord vouchsafed
To grant my prayer immediately the bird Flew up, and soaring to the clouds wheeled round Above the head of me the infidel Then from the mountain like a cloud in spring Came with the form of Zal clasped to her breast, And odours that fulfilled the world with musk. Mine eyes were tearless, and my lips were dry I feared the bird and yearned upon my son,
: ;

So_ that

my

wits departed clean away.

She brought him to me like the kindliest nurse, Whereat my tongue began to utter praise,

And
She

strange
left

I did obeisance to

the fowl

my

son and went, 'twas God's decree,

!

And And

told

have brought him, lord of earth what heretofore was mystery."

to thee,

How

Zdl went back

to

Z&bulistdn
v. 144

The Shah then ordered the astrologers, The archmages and the other men of lore, To ascertain the horoscope of Zal
"

And so forecast the prince's destiny What will he be on reaching man's estate Ye must inform me as to this at large."
:

They found the horoscope of Zal and said This youth will be a famous paladin, A noble, shrewd, and valiant cavalier." The Shah rejoiced and Sam's heart ceased from care. The ruler of the earth prepared a gift
:

"

Of such a sort that he was blessed by Of Arab steeds with golden furniture,

all,

252

THE SHAHNAMA OF F1RDAUSI

Of Indian scimitars with golden sheaths, Of furs and gold, of jewels and brocade, Of carpets also an abundant store, Of Human slaveboys in brocade of Rum With jewelled patterns on a golden ground, Of bowls of emerald and turquoise cups, Of others of pure silver and red gold Containing saffron, musk, and camphor these The servants brought with suits of mail and casques, Horse-armour, lances, maces, bows and arrows, A throne of turquoise and a crown of gold, A ruby signet-ring and golden girdle. Anon the monarch had a patent drawn,
:

Like Paradise

With Mai
v. 145

all praise investing Sam of Hind, Danbar, Kabulistan,

All from the Indus to the sea of Chin, And from Zabul up to the stream of Bust,

Drawn

strictly in

accord to precedent.

The patent written and the gifts prepared, They ordered out the horses for that chief Of paladins, who rising spake and said
:

"

chosen lord of justice and of right Know that between the Moon and Fish no Shah
!

Like thee

wore the crown thy goodness, prudence, and rede rejoice the age. Beneficence,
e'er
;

In thine eyes

all

the world's wealth

is

despised

May men remember no one's name but thine." He then advanced and kissed the throne.
They bound

The kettledrums upon the elephants And started for Zabulistan. The towns

And

villages turned out to gaze.

When Sam

Approached Nimniz 'twas bruited that the prince The lustre of the world had come with presents,

crown of gold, grant, patent, and gold

girdle.

MINIJCHIHR
Si'stan
;

253

was decked throughout like Paradise were gold and all its soil pure musk. They flung about dinars, musk, drachms, and saffron,
Its bricks

And made
The
:

a holiday for

all alike.

aspiring chiefs from all sides went to Sam, And said " May this youth's steps prove fortunate

For thee, blithe-hearted, famous paladin And as they blessed him showered gems o'er For each man worthy was a gift prepared, A robe of honour suited to his station As being eminent in rank or lore, While emulation caused all hopes to soar.
!

"

Zal.

How Sam
Thereafter

gave the

Kingdom

to

Zdl

Sam

set forth before his

son

The various

And having

virtues that adorn a king, called the fathers of the realm

v.
:

in set terms at large, " Ye holy archimages, wise of heart Our monarch in his wisdom ordereth
!

Harangued them

and said

That

I should

march upon Mazandaran

I take

1 Against the Kargasars. A mighty host my son

;

with

me

mine own

heart's blood

And

partner of my life abideth here. I in the days of youth and arrogance Pronounced a monstrous sentence on the boy. God gave to me a son I cast him out
:

In ignorance, not wotting of his worth. Him the Simurgh, that noble bird, bare

off,

Him

too the
1

Maker passed not by

in scorn.

The name

of a wild tribe, " the Vulture-heads."

254

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

What I despised was precious to the fowl, Which reared him till he seemed a lofty cypress, And when the time for pardon came the Lord Of all the world God gave him back to me. Regard him as my representative, As mine own self xjomuiitted to your charge I leave to you to teach him what is good And kindle every virtue in his breast. Hold him in honour, give him sound advice,
;

Impart good principles and lofty aims, For as the Shah cominandeth I depart

With

other chiefs against our enemies."

:

He turned to Zal and said " Be peaceful, just, And liberal, hold Zabulistan as home And all things there as subject to thy will.
Be thine
to

make

the

home more
Of

beautiful

And
Thy

friends

more happy.

my

treasure-hoards

I leave the

loss is

key with thee, thy gain is weal, woe to me. In feast and fight
:

Do
v. 147

Zal answered

whatsoe'er thy bright soul holdeth good." " Can I live on here ? If one
ever born defective
I

Was And

it was I, have cause to wail. Put me not further Than ever from thee now that peace hath come. While I was neath the talons of the bird, Sucked blood and fared in dust, dwelt in a nest And had a fowl for friend, I was esteemed

A fowl

myself; but she that fostered

me
!

Such is fate's fostering Is far away. I have no portion of the rose but thorns

And must

submit."

Let thy heart rest

Sam answered " Be at ease. command whate'er thou wilt.

:

The

astrologers declare a gracious purpose Concerning thee that here shall be thy home

MINUCHIHR
With host and crown.
is

255
;

We cannot thwart heaven's will

around thee love. Thy portion Now gather to thee cavaliers and sages, Delight in men of wisdom, list and learn From them, be instant both in feast and bounty, And instant too in justice and all knowledge."
to spread

He ceased. The din of tymbals rose, earth turned To iron and the air to ebony The Indian bells and gongs clanged at the portal As Sam the chief departed to the war With troops equipped and eager. For two stages
;

V. 148

Ztil

went
sire

to see his father lead the host.

;

then clasped him closely. Rose wild wailing Zal wept his heart's blood down his cheeks, but Sam

His

Bade him return and go with happy heart Back to the throne and crown yet Zal returned
;

happy life without his father He sat upon the famous ivory throne, He set the shining crown upon his head, He took the armlet and the oxhead mace, The golden necklace and the golden girdle,
In grief
a
!

And

called the archrnages out of every province In quest of knowledge both of men and things. Astrologers and men of sanctity, Brave warriors and warlike cavaliers, Were with him night and day and counselled him In every matter, whether great or small. He profited so much that thou hadst said " He shineth as a star " In policy And understanding he had not a peer, His horsemanship was famous with the great, Folk thronged him in amazement at his beauty, And whether near or distant used to think
:

The camphor locks

of Zal as black as ink.

256

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

How

Zdl visited Mihrdb of Kabul

V. 149

One day Zal set forth on a royal progress With chiefs attached to him in rede and Faith To view Kabul, Dunbar, Margh, Mai and Ind. At every stage he set him up a throne

And

He
As

called for wine and harp and minstrelsy. lavished treasure and indulged in pleasure, is the fashion in this Wayside Inn,

And

reached Kabul with gladness in his heart. There was a certain monarch hight Mihrab, wealthy and successful potentate,

With cheeks

In stature like a noble cypress-tree, like springtide and with pheasant's tread

He had

a sage's heart, a ruler's brain, warrior's shoulders and archmage's sense.

Descended from Zahhak, he ruled Kabul,

to fight with Sam Paid yearly tribute. Hearing that Sam's son Had come, he left Kabul at dawn with treasure,

But having not the power

With
Musk,

steeds caparisoned, slave-boys, dinars, rubies, spicery, brocade of gold,

Silks, beaver-skins, a royal jewelled

crown

And

He

golden torque with emerald ornaments. took the chiefs and army of Kabul
:

As escort. Tidings reached the son of Sam " The stately chief is coming in his state." Zal went to meet and greet him courteously With every honour due. In merry mood They came together to the turquoise throne

A table fit
And

for paladins was spread all sat down with gladness to the feast.

MINUCHIHR
There, while cup-bearers handed cups and wine, Mihrab observed the son of Sain, on whom

257

to gaze, and whom he longed to serve. and prudence made Mihrab exclaim: " " His mother is immortal When Mihrab Rose from the board, Zal marked his mien and limbs,

He joyed

Zal's wit

V. 150

And

said before the chiefs

"
:

Who girdeth him

?

More gracefully ? Who hath such mien and carriage Men would pronounce him matchless in the fight."

One
"

of the noble chieftains said to Zal

a daughter in his house whose face Is fairer than the sun, like ivory

He hath

From head to foot, with cheeks like Paradise, And as a teak in height. Two musky ringlets
Fall o'er her silvern neck, the ends of them Would serve for ankle-rings. Her cheeks are like

Pomegranate-blossoms, she hath cherry lips, Her silvern breasts bear two pomegranate-grains, Her eyes are twin narcissi in a garden,
Their lashes blackness rapt from raven's plumes,
are like two bows made at Taraz, with the purest musk. If thou wouldst seek Whipped A moon, there is her face if thou wouldst scent

Her brows

The musk, there is her hair. From head She is as Paradise all music, charm,

to foot

And
Of

beauty."

This raised tumult in the heart

He

and reason fled from him " There is no doubt that this fair maid thought Is like the sun and moon, for since the sire " Is comely still, how fair the child must be Night came; Zal sat in sad and anxious thought, Concerned for her whom he had never seen,
Zal,

and

rest
:

v. 151

But when the

sun's rays struck the mountain-tops

258

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

And made the world white crystal he gave audience, And warriors with their golden scabbards came
To grace the portal of the paladin. As these great men were calling for
their steeds,

Mihrab, the ruler of Kabul, approached The tent of Zal, the ruler of Zabul.

When

he arrived the word was

"
:

Clear the way."

Fresh in his beauty as a laden

fruit-tree

He came to Zal, who welcomed him with joy, Gave him the chiefest room and said " Request
:

Whate'er thou wilt throne, signet, sword or crown." Mihrab replied: "Exalted, conquering king, But one desire have I, Whose word is law And that an easy one for thee to grant That thou be pleased to visit me and make
!

My

soul bright as the sun."

Zal said

"
:

Not

so

Thy

palace

is

not one that I

may

visit,

For Sam would not approve, nor would the Shah, Of us for drinking wine and getting drunk With idol-worshippers. Save this request We grant thee all and joy to see thy face." On hearing this Mihrab did reverence, But in his heart called Zal an infidel,

Who
V. 152

much the son of Sam, he went praised him as he deserved. Now no one hitherto had noticed him, For all had thought him an outlandish div, And since his Faith and manners were not theirs Refrained from praising him but when Zal spake His admiration with such warmth, the courtiers
Then
strode forth blessing
as
;

Began

to praise

him

too, his

mien, his stature,

His polished manners, tact and courtesy, While as for Zal his heart went clean distraught, His wisdom fled afar and love was lord.

MINUCHIHR

259
:

An Arab
"

chief once said in this regard

horse shall while I live

to

my
at

comrade

be,

The
I

vault of circling heaven shall shelter

me

want no bride
cause the

And

make me wise to mock

delicate,

mine

estate."

stricken to the heart by care, Zal, o'er the matter, sorely pained Kept brooding

who was

For His

fear lest scandal glory.

all

might result and dim Thus heaven oft revolved above,

full of love.

And

the while his heart was

How Ruddba
It

took Counsel with her Damsels

came to pass that at the dawn one day Mihrab walked stately from the audience- chamber, And going toward his women's bower beheld Two Suns within the hall one was Kiidaba, The fair of face, the other was Sindukht, The prudent and devoted both were decked Like garths in spring all colour, scent, and grace.
; ;

gazed upon Kiidaba wonderingly, Invoking blessings on her. In his eyes She seemed a cypress neath the orbed moon, Encrowned with ambergris, decked with brocade And gems a very Paradise of wealth Sindukht, whose smiles displayed her pearly teeth, Between her jujube lips asked of Mihrab
!

He

V. 153

"

How
ill

Of

did thy visit prosper ? May the hand What is he like be far from thee
!

Sam's hoary son ? What is he suited for A nest or throne ? Doth he behave as man, And walk in chieftains' steps ? " Mihrab replied " O fair-faced Cypress with the silvern breast
!

260

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Of all the warrior- paladins of earth Not one can tread his steps there is no
;

portrait

Inside our halls with such a bridle-hand, Or such another cavalier on horseback.

He is in heart a lion and in strength An elephant his hands are like the Nile. When he is on the throne he scattereth gold, When he is in the fray he scattereth heads.
:

His cheek

is

ruddy

as the cercis-bloom

Shrewd, young in years and fortune too is he, In battle like the baleful crocodile, On horseback like a dragon with sharp claws. He layeth in the fight the dust with blood And brandisheth his falchion of blue-steel. He hath this one defect his hair is white Fault-finders find in him no other fault Yet this white hair of his becoineth him, And thou wouldst say He fascinateth hearts.' " On hearing this Riidaba blushed, with cheeks
; ;
'
:

Red as pomegranate-blossoms, while her heart Became fulfilled with fire for love of Zal
:

She could not eat or rest in peace a change Came in her disposition and demeanour, For passion had usurped the place of wisdom,
;

y. 154

How

goodly were the teacher's words

"Deny
;

All talk of

The heart
i

men when there are women by of woman is the Div's abode,

If

thou suggestest she will find the road." Riidaba had five Turkman waiting-maids,
; :

Five faithful slaves, all girls of prudent minds To them she said " I have a secret for you,

you are in my confidence; Attend upon me, and dispel my cares Know then, all five of you, and understand,
Since
all

of

And

luck go with you

all

your years, that I

MINUCHIHR
I

261

am

in love,

and

like a raging sea

!

Whose

billows surge to heaven Is full of love for Zal, and in

I cannot tear

Mine ardent heart

sleep

my

thoughts from him. Possesseth me, heart, mind, and wits

my

His love
;

muse

day and night and now Means must be found to free me from my woe. None knoweth of my secret but yourselves, For ye are good and love me."

Upon

his features

Then the
Thought Rose at her
in

slaves
"
!

amaze
like so

"
:

The

princess doth amiss

many Ahrimans crown of ladies in the world O daughter eminent among the mighty, Admired from Hindustan to Chin, and like A shining signet in the women's bower

And

said

"

No

cypress in the
;

garden equalleth

Thy height thy cheeks outshine the Pleiades. Thy portrait hath been sent out to Kannuj, To Mai, and to the monarch of the West. Hath modesty departed from thine eyes

And

all

consideration for thy sire

That thou shouldst long to clasp upon thy bosom One whose own father hath rejected him One fostered on a mountain by a fowl A spectacle for all the folk ? No mother Excepting his hath borne an aged babe.

V. 155

Such
For

offspring is ignoble. Strange indeed two such coral lips and musky hair
!

To seek a dotard

Why, all folk love thee Thy portrait is in all their palaces Thy stature, face, and hair are such that Sol Would come from his fourth heaven to be thy spouse Rudaba heard, her heart flared up like fire
;

"
!

Before a blast of

air.

She shrieked

at them,

262

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA USI

that shut her eyes, exclaiming strive in vain it booteth not to hear.
:

With frowns

"
:

Bah

Ye

If to

some

Find any

star I lost heart, could I satisfaction in the moon ?

my

Clay-eaters do not gaze upon the rose Although the rose is better than the clay.

Then honey
I

If vinegar will cure a body's liver, will but make the anguish worse.

want not Caesar or Faghfiir of Chin, Or any of the princelings of 1 ran

:

Zal,

son of Sam,

is tall

enough

for

me
;

And

lion-like in shoulder, neck,

and arm

For whether people call him old or young To me he giveth peace of soul and mind. Talk not of other men, be his my heart, Bit as it is by love of one whom I

Have never

chooseth by report. I do not love his face and hair but him
seen
!

It

'Tis for his merits that I

seek his love."

The
V.
1

slaves,

And having
56

on hearing her distracted voice, learned her secret, cried " Thy slaves
:

Are we and serve thee with devoted

hearts.

Command
One
said

us
:

Naught but good

Cypress-stem
!

will

come
else
!

of

it."

"

let

none
!

know.

hundred thousand of us for thy life May all Creation's wisdom be thine aid Should there be need to study grammarye, And stitch up eyes with artifice and spell, Then will we fly like an enchanter's bird, Or run along like deer to give thee aid, So we may bring this king to thee our Moon,

And

lay

him

at

thy

feet."

Riidaba smiled,

Turned safflower cheeks toward the slave and said " If thou canst compass this thou wilt have planted
:

MINUCHIHR

263

tall tree

Which wisdom

bearing rubies day by day in its breast will bear away."

How Ruddbds
The
slaves arose

Damsels went

to see

Zdl

and went, remediless Themselves they sought a remedy for her. So donning raiment of brocade of Rum,

And
The

five of

twisting roses in their hair, they went, them, toward the river-side,

Like jocund spring all colour and perfume. 'Twas Farwardin, the first month of the year, And Zal's encampment was beside the stream The damsels were upon the farther bank. Their talk was all of Zal. They gathered roses Along the river-side. Their cheeks were like
;

rosary,
still

and roses

filled their

laps

But

When
"

they gathered roaming here and there. they came opposite the royal tent

Zal, spying

Who

them from his high throne, inquired are these flower- worshippers ?" One said
:

v. 157

"

The Beauty

of Kabulistan hath sent

Forth from the palace of bright-soul ed Mihrab Her waiting-maidens to the rosary." Zal's heart beat fast, and being love-distraught He walked attended by a single slave
Beside the stream.

Upon

the further

bank

He saw the girls, drew himself up and bade The Turkman slave-boy bring the bow then looked For game and lighted on a water-fowl. The ruddy Turkman slave-boy strung the bow
;

And

laid

Who

it in the paladin's left hand, flushed the fowl and shot it as it rose.

264

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Zal said
"
:

Blood dyed the water.

Go

across

And

fetch

yon

crippled bird."

The
Crossed in a boat.

The
"
:

slave-girls

Turkman questioned him

gallant

About the paladin

This lion-limbed
warrior

And elephantine-bodied

Who
What

is

he

foe

Of what people is he king ? could counter him ? We never saw

?
:

A finer

cavalier or better shot."

The pretty slave-boy bit his lip and said " Speak not so of the king. The son of Sam Is monarch of Nimriiz, and other kings Call him Dastan.' The sky revolveth not
'

O'er cavalier like him, nor will time see

His peer."

V. 158

The damsels laughed and answered thus The moon-faced boy " Say not such things because Mihrab hath now a Moon within his palace,
:

Who is a whole head taller than A teak in stature, ivory in hue,

thy king,

Crowned with a crown of musk, a thing divine. Her eyes are pensive and her eyebrows arched Their column is a silvern reed. Her mouth
Is

narrow as the heart of one

forlorn,

Her tresses' ends are coiled like ankle-rings, Her witching eyes are full of dreamy light, Her cheeks are tulip-like in hue, her locks
Like

matchless
'tis

musk her soul Moon is

;

is

breathing through her she We from Kabul

!

lips.

Approach the monarch of Zabul

in state,

And
Our

our policy to introduce

lady's
is

ruby

lips to those of Zal,

is

Which

but well and seemly, for she

Of equal rank."

On

hearing this the slave-boy

MINUCHIHR
"

265

Flushed ruby-like. The Sun should wed the Moon," He said. " Whene'er the world would make a match The hearts of all concerned find room for love, And when the world would cause a severance It parteth mate from mate without a word. Love's bond is hidden but its rupture seen, And both are common. Still the bachelor Enjoyeth peace at home, and since he hath

No
'

Once

daughter, will not hear reproachful words. said the male hawk to his brooding mate

If hen-birds only from these eggs thou bring Thou makest of the sire a sexless thing.' "

Now when
Zal asked
"
:

What was

the laughing slave-boy had returned it that they said to thee

silvern teeth
?

V. 159

To make thee laugh and show thy

"

With joy.

whose heart grew young the moon-faced youth " Return And say thus to yon damsels Stay awhile Among the roses ye perchance may take
told the paladin,

He

He bade
;

'

Some gems
So go not

as well as blossoms

from the garden,

"

till

ye hear from me.'

He
:

took

Gold, jewelry, and drachms, with five rich pieces Of gold brocade and bade his slaves " Convey them To yonder girls, tell none and be not seen." They took the treasures with an ardent message And gave them to the damsels in Zal's name. Then said one damsel to the moon-faced page " A matter never can be kept concealed Unless it be confined to only two Three are no casket, four are all the world. If thou So say to him, shrewd, trusty boy " Hast secret things to say tell us in person.' Riidaba's damsels said to one another " The Lion hath been taken in the toils.
:

'

266

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA US I

The wishes of Riidaba and of Zal Have been fulfilled, and matters promise well." The black-eyed youth, who brought the monarch's
gifts

v.

60

acted for him, went and told his chief In secret what those charming damsels said, Zal went. Those rosy Idols of Taraz Drew near and did obeisance. He inquired

And

About that Cypress-stem, her mien and looks, Her speech, her wisdom, and her rede, to see
If she
"

were worthy of him.

"

Speak," he said,

Without attempting

If

But

ye speak truth it if I think that ye impose upon

elephant shall

to prevaricate. will advantage you,

me

An

trample you

to death."

With cheeks that had become like sandarac The slave-girls kissed the ground before the chief, And one of them the youngest of the troop,

tenderness and ready speech, " thus to Zal Spake Among the mighty none Hath e'er been born of woman in this world
girl of
:

Who could

compare with Sam

in looks

and

stature,
;

In purity, in courage, sense, and knowledge Or yet with thee, thou valiant cavalier,
!

Of lofty bearing and of lion-limbs Or with Rudaba in her loveliness, A silvern Cypress, coloured and perfumed, Compact from head to foot of rose and jasmine, While over it Canopus of Yarnan Is shining. One would say Her face distilleth and her locks are scents.' Insidious lassos Wine,
'
:

Fall from her head, that cupola of silver, O'er cheeks of roses to the very ground.

Her head

is all

And musk,

her person

a-twine with ambergris all a-shine with jewels.

MINUCHIHR
ringlets are like musky mail Where there is link on link as one might say. Thou wilt not see in Chin so fair an Idol
'

267

Her locks and

'

The moon and Pleiades bow down to her." The chief on fire rejoined in sugared tones
"

Say,

if

thou knowest, how

may approach

her.

V. 161

I love her,

heart and soul, and long to see

Her

face."

We, if thou shalt bid Will haste back to the palace of our Cypress, And then beguile her, telling all we can
:

She answered

"

us,

About the

chief of paladins, his prudence,

His looks, his converse, and his ardent soul, And 'tis an honest work. We will ensnare Her musky head and bring her lips to Zal's.

The

paladin, a lasso in his hand,

May haply stroll toward our stately home And fling the noose around a pinnacle.
The Lion will rejoice to hunt the Lamb. Then gaze thy fill on her. Our talk shall be The earnest of far more felicity."

10
to

How
The

the

Damsels returned

Ruddba

and Zal thought the night Meanwhile they reached the palace-gate, Each with two sprays of roses, where the porter,
girls departed,

A year.

On catching sight of them, prepared to chide, And spake with sternness, hardening his heart
"

time this to be beyond the gates I marvel at your gadding so about." The Idols, when they found a word to say,
!

A nice

Flew out

at

him

in their

embarrassment

268
"

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

is

This day
is

just like any other one

There

no foul div

'Tis spring.

We

in the rosary. gather roses in the garden,

And

spikes of hyacinth upon the ground. Moon-faced Rudaba bade, and so we went Hence after roses out of love for her Then wherefore speak to us in such a tone " For plucking them ?
;

"
V. 162

But

this is not the time,"

;

He

"

said,

for

pranks

like these
is

for bear in
:

mind

That Zal the chieftain now

Kabul The land is covered with his tents and troops. Do ye not see Mihrab at early dawn Go from his palace-gate and mount his steed ? Why, every day he goeth to and fro Now he and Zal have come to be such friends, And if he saw you carrying your roses Would have you down upon the ground forthwith. Quit not the Haram more, and would to God That nothing great or small may come of this." They went within and told the Moon hi private " We ne'er saw Sun like this with ruddy cheeks
at
:

And

hair all white."

Riidaba's heart inflamed

In expectation of beholding
laid his jewels

Zal.

and dinars before her, They While she minutely questioned them " How found ye " The son of Sam ? Doth he deserve his fame ? The five, encouraged, chattered on and said " Zal is the finest horseman, with such mien And Grace a lofty cypress of a man. Imperial Grace and dignity are his.
: :

What

How

slirn

fragrance, colour, stature, limbs, he hath a waist and what an open chest
!

His eyes are twin narcissi water-blue,

MINUCHIHR
His lips like coral and his cheeks like blood. His hand and forearm are like lion's paws. A shrewd man he, with an archmage's heart And royal Grace while as for his white hair It is a blemish but no cause for shame. This chief of paladins hath downy cheeks,
!

269

Like cercis-bloom through silver habergeon, Such as to make one cry Be ever thus
'

v
art.'

163

No change

can make thee dearer than thou him he should see thee he was hopeful When we departed. Now devise a scheme To entertain him. Tell us what to tell him."

We

told

She answered " Once ye told a different tale This Zal, who was the nursling of a bird, Was so white-headed and so wizened Now His cheek is like the cercis-bloom, and he Is tall and handsome, and a paladin And ye have bragged about my face to him
:
!

And

asked for payment for your gossiping." She spake with smiles and blushes on her cheeks, As 'twere pomegranate-blooms, then bade one damsel " Be off with you at dawn. Take him good news, Hear what he hath to say and say to him
:

'

'

Thy wish

is

Come and behold

And came back

granted thy

be in readiness

Moon

in all her charms.'

"

The waiting-maid departed, gave the message,

to the Cypress of Taraz. "Devise some means to compass it," she said, " For God hath granted thee thy whole desire, And may the ending be a happy one " Riidaba soon made ready, while her kin
!

Suspected naught. She had her own pavilion Like jocund spring and decked with great
portraits.

men's

The servants draped

it

with brocade of Chin,

270

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

Set golden trays about as ornaments,

Then mingled wine with musk and ambergris

And And

scattered emeralds

and

carnelians.

Here were

narcissus, violet, cercis-bloom

rose, there lily

and the jasmine-spray.

;

V. 164

The goblets were compact of gold and turquoise, The viands saturate with clear rose-water Thus from the chamber of the sun-faced one
Rose fragrant odours wafting to the sun.

How

Zdl went

to

Riiddba

At dusk they locked the gate and took the And then a damsel went to Zal and said
:

key,

"

All

is

prepared, so come."

Thereat the
All wooer-like, set out toward the palace.

chief,

Meanwhile black-eyed and rosy-cheeked Riidabacypress over which the full moon shone

Went
The
"

to the roof, and,

when the son

of

Sam
:

cavalier appeared, that high-born maid Unlocked her coral lips and cried to him

Thou art well come, youth of noble birth The Maker's blessing be on thee, the arch Of circling heaven be underneath thy feet, And may my maid be blithe of heart and glad,
!

For, top to toe, thou art as she described thee.

To foot it thus from thy pavilion Must irk thy royal feet."

He heard the voice And saw upon the wall a sun-cheeked damsel, Whose beauty set the roof a-gleam like gems, Whose blushes set the ground a-flush like rubies.

MINUCHIHR

271
!

He

thus

My How many

thou inoon-faced one of heaven be thine. and the Grace blessing

:

made answer

"

nights with eyes up-turned to Spica

Have I entreated Him who ruleth all, To let me privily behold thy face Now thou dost make me happy with thy
!

voice,

Thy tender words and Some means to let me

The

gentleness.

Oh
!

find

For why look on thee " Shouldst thou be on the roof and I below ?

And

fairy-faced one heard the chieftain's words doffed her scarlet wimple instantly.
lofty cypress-form

v. 165

Then from her

she loosed

A lasso,

such as none could

it

plait, of

musk

Coil within coil

was, and snake on snake

Strand over strand it lay upon her neck. She loosed her tresses o'er the battlements And when they straightened out they reached the
ground.

Then spake Rudaba from the

"

wall above
!

paladin

child of warrior-race

Now

speed thee quickly and gird up thy loins, Exert thy lion-breast and royal hands. Seize these black tresses which hang down beside
All dedicate to thee."

me

Zal gazed on her In marvel at her hair and face. She heard

Him kiss
"

that

musky
;

lasso oft.

He

said

This

is

not well

may

no sun shine when

Shall lay a wanton hand upon my Life And put a spearpoint to this wounded heart."

He took a lasso from his servant, coiled And lightly flung it in his breathless haste.
The noose caught and he mounted. Fairy-face Advanced to welcome him, she clasped his hand,

And

both intoxicate with love descended,

272
v. 166

THE SHANHAMA OF FIRDA USI

clasped in hand, to her pavilion Gold-arabesqued a meeting-place for kings, A Paradise adorned a blaze of light.
Slave-girls attended on the Houri there, While Zal in rapt astonishment beheld

Hand

Her Her

And

her hair, her loveliness and grace, bracelets, torque, and earrings her brocade jewels were like gardens in the spring
face,
:

Her cheeks were like twin tulips in a garth Her crispy love-locks twisted curl on curl.
Zal sat in royal grace by that fair Moon,

His dagger in his belt and on his head A ruby coronet. Rudaba looked

And

looked with stolen glances at

at

him

still

Looked

that

form,

that

neck,

that grace, that

height,

Which used to make rocks brambles 'neath his mace, And at those cheeks whose lustre fired her soul.
The more she gazed the more her heart inflamed They kissed and clung intoxicate with love.
:

What
"

hunteth not the onager ? Thus spake the chieftain to the moon-faced maid
lion

silver-bosomed Cypress, musk-perfumed

will ne'er consent, and Sam will wring His hands and storm, but still by God I swear That I will never break my troth to thee. Nay I will first hold soul and body cheap And wear a shroud. I will seek God and pray Him,

The Shah

With all the instancy of devotees, To wash all opposition, wrath, and vengeance
V. 167

From both

their hearts,

and

if

He

hearkeneth

Thou shalt become my wife before the world." Rudaba answered " I too swear by Him The God of Faith and right that none but Zal Shall be my lord the Maker is my witness."
:

MINUCHIHR
Their love waxed ever as the

273

moments

sped,

For wisdom was afar and passion near. So fared they till the day began to break

And

drum-call sounded.

Zal farewelled his Moon,

Embracing her as warp and woof embrace. Both wept and both adjured the rising sun
"

glory of the world one moment Thou needst not rise so soon."
!

more

Then from

aloft

Zal dropped his lasso and descending straight Went from the palace of his lovely mate.

I2

How

Zdl consulted

the

Archimages in the Matter

of

Ruddba
o'er the hills,

The warriors, when bright Sol rose Went to the levee of the paladin, And then dispersed while Zal bade
They came

call

the sages.

the ministers, archmages, heroes And glorious chieftains, men both wise and ardent Well pleased at being summoned. Zal, all smiles

And yearning,

offered first his praise to God,

Then roused the archimages to attention " Let all our hearts By thus addressing them
:

Regard with fear and hope the righteous Judge, Who is the Lord of circling sun and moon,

v. 168

And showeth

To give Him We must bow down

way of righteousness. all the praise that we can give

souls the

By Him By Him

before Him night and day. the jocund world abideth fast,
justice

is

done in heaven and

earth.

bringeth summer, spring, and autumn-tide With fruit to fill the branches of the vines
;

He

274

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDA USI

its time of scent and bloom, hath from Him its time of saddened looks. Age None can transgress His will and ordinance Without Him not an ant can walk the earth. He bringeth increase to the world by pairs, And not by one there is no One but God, Who hath not any partner, mate, or peer, But all His creatures hath He made in pairs. This was His scheme earth and its good for man
: ;

Youth hath from Him

we had never known Its possibilities. Again, we never See youth unmated stable in the Faith,
But save
for pairing

And thirdly, men though of a mighty stock Unmated lose their vigour. What can show
More goodly than a

Whose

soul

is

chief of paladins, gladdened by his progeny

He

at

life's

close will

have a

New

Year's

Day
:

In children who will keep his memory thus This is the son of Zal the son of Sam.' ?hus crown and throne are graced the father's time Being over fortune resteth with the son.
;

All these apply to mine

own

case,

and are

The
V. 169

roses

and

narcissi of

My heart

is lost,

my garden. my wisdom fled Declare

!

have not spoken The remedy Before I suffered both in brain and wits. The palace of Mihrab I love it all His land is heaven to me forwhy my heart
for this.
I
!

Rejoiceth in the daughter of Sindukht.

What say ye now ? Will Sam too be rejoiced And will Shah Minuchihr, if he shall hear,
merely as a youthful error ? great and small in marrying but obey The laws of Faith and custom. No wise man Will bar what honour and religion sanction.

Regard
All

it

MINUCHIHR

275
?

What What

do the prescient archimages say " are the sages' views ?

They held their peace Because Zahhak was grandsire to Mihrab, And Mimichihr detested both. None dared To answer, none had heard of antidote And bane combined. Their silence grieved the chief, Who tried another plan " I know," said he, " That ye will blame the course that I adopt, But every one who chooseth for himself Is certain to incur no lack of blame. If ye can show me what to do, and how I may undo this coil, ye shall be treated As subjects ne'er were yet, my goodness, kindness, And uprightness shall keep you from all ill." The archimages, well disposed toward him, Considered and replied " We are thy slaves, And we are much amazed. But who will be The better or the worse on this account ? Although Mihrab is not of equal rank Yet is he mighty, brave, and rich, albeit Sprung from the Dragon's stock the Arabs' king. Write thou to Sam as thy shrewd mind suggesteth, Who hast more wisdom, thoughtfulness, and wits
: :

v. 170

and he may write the Shah a letter Explaining his own views, and Minuchihr

Than

we,

Will be advised by

Sam

the cavalier

And

every obstacle will disappear."

'3

How
The

Zdl

ivrote to

Sdm

to

Explain the Case

chieftain bade a scribe to come, poured forth His heart and wrote a letter of good cheer,

276

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

first he praised the Maker and the Judge, The Source of joy and might, the Lord of Venus, Of Sol and Mars, of being and not being. We all of us are slaves and God is One. May He bless Sam the son of Nariman The lord of mace, of scimitar, and helm, Whose black steed boundeth in the dust of fight, Who glutteth vultures when he maketh war,

And
"

V. 171

Who raiseth tempests on the battle-field, Who sheddeth gouts of blood from murky Who handleth golden belts and diadems
And
setteth kings

clouds,

their thrones of gold. His bravery achieveth feat on feat And they exalt his name. There liveth not,

upon

Nor ever
His

will,

a cavalier so brave.
I

and love him heart and soul. was born, and ills have come Since then upon me from the rolling sky. My father wore luxurious furs and silks
thrall

am

He saw how

the Simurgh bare to a mount in Ind. Fain was I that the bird should bring me prey

Me

And number me among

its little

ones.

skin was scorched by blast, mine eyes were stopped With dust. They used to call me son of Sam

My

Though he was on
Since

a throne, I in a nest,

made this way for me. None scapeth His ordainment though one fly Among the clouds, gnaw spearheads, rend the hides

God

ordained and

Of lions with his shouting, yea although His teeth are anvils he is still God's slave. A thing hath happened which I cannot tell To every one, and I am broken-hearted, Howbeit a sire, though fierce and dragon-like, Should hearken to the secrets of his child.

My

tears are for the

daughter of Mihrab,

MINfiCHIHR
I

277

am

as

if

consumed

in raging
lose
;

fire,

The

stars are

my

companions in the night,

So that

My breast is like a sea, I my people weep

my

wits

I will not

draw a breath but

yet though sore troubled at thy word.

?

What doth the chief of paladins command Oh free my mind from this distress and grief The archimages have advised me thus
!

V. 172
!

Let not the chieftain keep his Jewel hidden But act with loyalty.' My sire perchance Will second me herein that I may make
'

The daughter

of

Mihrab

my

lawful wife.

remember that when God Restored me to him out of Mount Alburz He pledged his word in presence of his men

My

father will

'

I will not frustrate

this
it is

Now

one wish of thy heart.' whereon my heart is set."

left

A horseman
To go
to

Kabul

at lightning-speed

took a second horse, " Should one roadster founder For Zal directed Stay not to breathe but lightly mount the other
:

Sam and

And hurry on
Went,

to

Sam."

like the wind,

The messenger upon a steed of steel.

When

he was drawing near the Kargasars, Sam, who was hunting on a range of hills, Beheld him from afar and told his comrades " There cometh from Kabul a messenger
a white steed of Zabulistan, Sent doubtlessly by Zal, so let us learn His news."

Upon

The man approaching kissed the ground, With many thanks to God. Sam welcomed him

And

took the

letter,

while the

His errands.

Sam undid and

man discharged read the letter

v. 173

278

THE SH AH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

While coming from the mountains, paled and halted In wonder not expecting or commending
Zal's conduct.

One

Yet," he thought, 'tis natural nurtured by a bird would hanker thus."

said
"
:

"

"

When
And

he returned he pondered long and deeply,

If I shall say, not, incline to
'

'

This

is

not well,

wisdom's ways,' Oppose me Both God and man will blame my breach of faith. If I say,' Yes,' and Thy desire is good Do as thou wilt,' what will their offspring be " This nursling of the fowl and that div's child ?
:

He laid him down in grief but could not The harder any servant's task, the more

rest.

His heart is heavy and his suffering sore, The greater peace and comfort shall he know Within when God Almighty willeth so.

How Sam
"

consulted the

Archmages in

the

Matter of Zdl
:

Sam when he woke

How

will this end, for these

asked the astrologers two elements,

?

Like

fire

and water, are opposed completely

Such surely on the Judgment Day will be The warfare of Zahhak and Faridun.
Consult the
V. 174
stars,

vouchsafe

me

your advice,

And put your

They To Sam with
:

pen- point to a lucky sign." the day in searching, and then spent
smiles, for opposites

came

combined

In his behalf, and an astrologer Said " Hero of the golden belt we bring Good news about the daughter of Mihrab And Zal, for they will be a glorious pair,
!

Whose son

will prove a

mighty Elephant,

MINUCHIHR
Will gird his loins
with, valour,

279

overcome

The world, will set the Shah's throne on the clouds, Cut from the ground the feet of evil doers And leave them not a lurking-place on earth,
1 Spare no Sagsars, spare not Mazandaran, But make the earth clean with his massive mace.

Through him Tiiran shall suffer greater woe, Through him Iran shall gain unbounded weal, Through him the aching head shall rest, and he
Shall shut the door of war, the path of mischief.

The Iranians shall have hope in him, through him The paladin shall have good news and joy. The charger that he urgeth in the fight
Shall trample on the face of warrior-pards. The realm in his days shall be fortunate,

The age accept his name among the kings, While Rum, Ind, and the country of Iran Shall grave it on their signets."

Sam
And

gave ear

He

smiled as they congratulated him. gave them gold and silver past all count
:

Since peace had come in time of fear. He called The messenger, conversed with him and said " Thy wish Speak gently unto Zal and say Hath nothing in its favour, but since I Have pledged my word I must not seek a pretext
'
:

For breaking it. Lo! I shall quit the field To-morrow for Iran to ascertain The Shah's commands, and how God shall dispose
him.'"

V. 175

He
And

gave a largess to the messenger

:

him " Arise and tarry not." They bound a thousand of the Kargasars And dragged them off afoot in shame and woe.
said to
1

The name

of a wild tribe,

"the Dog-heads."

280

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

rose o'er

Toward dawn the horsemen's shouts

plain,

the

Rose too the sound of drums and clarions About the entrance of the tent-enclosure, And Sam marched to Iran by Dahistan. The messenger returned to Zal in triumph With omens of success. When he arrived He told Sam's answer. Zal was well content

And
For

offered praises to Almighty God this great mercy and his blissful fate.

lavished on the poor drachms and dinars especial kindness to his kindred, Invoking blessings on the chieftain Sam

He

And showed

For having sent a gentle answer back. He could not rest by day or sleep by night, He drank no wine, desired no minstrelsy His heart was always yearning for his bride He could not talk of any one beside.
;

15

How SinduTM

heard of the Case of Rudaba

A dame
And

of honied speech was go-between bore the lovers' greetings to and fro.

Zal called this woman, told about his sire, " Go to Rudaba. Say Arid said to her
:

y. 176

O Beauty kind and young when matters come To grievous straits we quickly find a key For their enlargement. Now the messenger Hath come from Sam rejoicing with good news. Sam hummed and hawed but in the end consented.'
'
!

Who

Zal sent his father's letter by the woman, hurried with the good news to Rudaba.

MINUCHIHR
That fay-faced damsel showered drachms upon her, Placed her upon a gold-embroidered seat And for her news gave her a change of raiment Then brought an Indian turban woven so finely That warp and woof were not distinguishable, With patterns wrought thereon in gold and rubies, So that the gold was hidden by the gems. This, and a costly finger-ring to match,
;

281

As bright as Jupiter, she sent to Zal, With many greetings, many messages.
Sindukht observed the

woman
art

in the hall
?

And

cried

"
:

Whence

thou

Speak

Dissemble

not

Thou passest in and out from time to time Without regard to me. I much suspect thee.
Wilt thou not say if thou art string or bow ? With face like sandarac she kissed the ground And answered thus " A needy woman I, Who have to get my living as I can I visit houses of the gentlefolk
:

"

v. 177

Who
I

purchase clothes of me and jewelry. Riidaba wished to buy rich gems and trinkets

brought

And hoop

to her a gold adorned tiara of royal gems."

Sindukht said

"
:

Show them

And quench my
" "

wrath."
"
"

The woman answered,

Show me

Riidaba," fetching more." the purchase-money," said Sindukht,

I left

them with

and

am

And

set

my

heart at

rest."
:

The woman answered The moon-faced lady told me she would pay To-morrow. Wait until I have the money."
"

Perceiving that she lied Sindukht used force, Searched up her sleeves and found her knavery.

282

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

Si'ndukht discovering Riidaba's ring And costly stuffs was very wroth, and catching The woman by the tresses flung her down
V. 178

her face, and in a burst of rage Haled her in shameful plight along the ground, Then let her fall, and bound and spurned and smote her.

Upon

in dudgeon to the palace, O'erwhelmed with disappointment, pain, and grief, Shut herself in and was as one bemused. She sent to call her daughter and the while Kept buffeting her face, and from her eyes Those wet narcissi bathed her burning cheeks Then to Riidaba " thou noble Moon Why choosest thou the ditch and not the throne ? In what respect can I have failed to teach thee Propriety in public and in private ? My pretty wherefore hast thou wronged me so ? who despatched Tell mother all thy secrets This dame to thee and why. What is all this ?
;
: !
!

The queen returned

Who
And

is

the

man

for

whom
meant

this splendid
?

turban
left us.

finger-ring are

In that great treasure

The Arabian crown much good and ill was Wilt fling it to the winds ? It had a name. " May mother never bear a child like mine
!

Riidaba looked away and hung her head In overwhelming shame before her mother,

And
"
"

tears of love descending graced her cheeks.

"
!

thus she made reply, most wise mother Love hunteth down my soul, but I had wrought
or
ill

No good
The

hadst thou not borne

is

me

first.

chieftain of Zabul

at Kabul,

And

love of

him
to

so fireth me,

and things

Have come
That,
I
if

such a pass within

my

heart

weep

in others' presence or alone, and only live to see his face.

MINUCHIHR
worth the world to me. Know too that he hath seen and sat beside me, And that we hand in hand have plighted troth. We did but see each other nothing more
hair of his
is

283

One

v. 179

sprang up betwixt us twain. was sent to mighty Sam messenger And he hath given his valiant son an answer. Though vexed at first he grew amenable And gave large presents to the messenger. By means of her whose hair thou didst pluck out, And whom thou didst fling down and hale along Upon the face, I have read all his letter This stuff was my reply." Smdukht was lost In wonder, glad that Zal should wed Rudaba, But said " This is no trifle. Zal is peerless Among the chiefs for valour, he is great,
lo
!

And

fire

Son of the paladin

of paladins,
fault
will

With all the virtues, and a single Which dwarfeth them the Shah

And send the dust up sunward from He wisheth not that any of our race
Should
e'er

be displeased Kabul.

mount

saddle."

Then, to make it seem That she had been mistaken, she released The woman and made much of her, and said " Act ever thus, discreet and clever dame Shut fast thy lips. God grant they never prove
: !

chink for speech.

Now

hide this in the dust."

She saw her daughter's secret bent was such That she would listen to advice from none, And laid her down in tears and in chagrin Thou wouldst have said that she had burst her
;

skin.

284

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA

751

How Mihrab
v.
i

was made Aware of Ms Daughter's Case

So

gratified by Zal's attentions, found Sindukht upon her couch Returning Pale and distressed he asked her " What hath

Mihrab,

much

happened Wherefore are thy rosy lips thus faded Speak She said " I have been musing for a while About these goodly treasures and this wealth, These Arab steeds caparisoned, this palace So noble and its pleasure-grounds, the friends
?
!

"
?

Who

cheer our hearts, these servants of

my

lord,

Our favour and our stature cypress- tall, Our fame, our knowledge, and our policy. In time our pride and glory must abate We yield them to the foe our toil is wind
;
;

A narrow bier is ours at last. We plant A tree whose antidote is bane to us, We water it laboriously and hang
Thereon our crown and wealth, but when it mounteth Sunward and giveth shade its lusty head Descendeth to the dust. With this before us I know not where we ever shall find rest." /v, Mihrab replied " Thou tellest an old tale
: :

It is the fashion of this

Wayside

Inn.

One is abased, another flourisheth, One corneth in, another goeth out
;

Canst thou see one whom heaven hunteth not Fret as we will our woes remain we cannot
^

Contend against the

"

All-just Judge."

She answered
v. 181

The wise would take

a very different view

MINUCHIHR
Of what
I said.

285

Now

can

hide from thee

?

A secret such as this and these grave doings A blessed wise archmage once told his child
The parable
In hope
of the tree which I adopted
lord

would understand the meaning." my She hung her head and bent her cypress-form, Her eyes dropped dew upon her rosy cheeks. " O full of wisdom," she went on to say, " The sky must not revolve above us thus. Know that the son of Sam hath striven to snare Rudaba and misled her ardent heart.

Now
I

'tis for us to find a remedy. have exhorted her without avail

Her heart

I see is troubled,

her face wan."

Thereat Mihrab sprang up and seized his sword, His cheek grew livid and his body shook With rage his heart was full, he groaned and cried
;

"

Her blood

shall flow for this."

Sindukht sprang too, " Now hear Clasped him about the waist, and cried Thy handmaid speak one word, then do what heart
:

And wisdom
And
"

counsel thee."

He
bellowed like a
I should

shook her
:

off

maddened elephant
off at

have cut her head

her birth.
;

I left

Now
Is

her grandsire's way and let her live she hath wrought on me this devilry.
his father's path

The son who walketh not

but a bastard in a brave man's eyes. Thus said the leopard grown keen- clawed for strife
'

My
If

I glory in the conflict, and I wis sire inherited the taste from his.

V. 182

Life

must be risked when honour

strivest

is

in sight

;
'

Why

Sam

thou to stay me from the fight and Mimichihr shall get a handle

286

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Against us smoke will go up from Kabul, Seedtime and harvest cease throughout the land." She said " marchlord do not speak so wildly.
: !

Sam knoweth all be not He left the Kargasars for

:
:

so greatly moved. this all know it."

:
!

Mihrab replied " Fair dame deceive me not. Could one imagine wind obeying dust ? I care not I so thou canst keep us scathless. A better son-in-law than noble Zal There cannot be as all know, great and small. Who is there from Ahwaz to Kandahar " That wisheth not to be affined to Sam ? " She said Great prince ne'er may I be enforced To use deceit with thee thy harm is mine
: !

thy sorrows. What I said is true And it was on my mind. I had at first Myself the same misgiving, which is why Thou sawst me lying down absorbed in grief But if this is to be 'tis not so strange
I share

As

to occasion this anxiety.

;

v. 183

Sarv of Yaman pleased Faridun prince Zal Is not unmindful of that precedent. By mingling fire with water, air with earth Earth's dark face is made bright." She brought Sam's answer,

And

said

"
:

Rejoice

Thou

hast

thy wish.
of face."

When

strangers Affine with thee thy foes

grow black

Though vengeful still and greatly moved Mihrab Gave ear, then bade her " Rouse and bring Rudaba." Smdukht, in terror lest that lion-man Should lay her daughter dead upon the dust,
:

" First promise to restore her to me Replied Unscathed, and that Kabulistan shall still
:

Possess this Rosary like Paradise."

MINUCHIHR
The chieftain promised, but he said " Now mark The Shah will meditate revenge for this."
: !

287

Smdukht did reverence, bending to the ground Then with her lips all smiles and face that showed The dawn beneath the night went to her daughter With this good news " The warrior-leopard's claws Have spared the wilful onager. Now hasten
;
: !

Take from thy

ornaments and go Before thy father, weeping bitterly." Riidaba answered " What are ornaments ?
face thine
:

What

are these worthless trinkets to

of

my
;

wealth

My soul is wedded to the son " Why hide what is so plain

?

Sam

Then went she

Before her father, like a rising sun,

in

And overwhelmed
Her

in gold

and jewelry.
in

father called on

God

mute amaze.
fair,
:

V. 184

She was a Paradise adorned and

"
!

Like shining Sol in jocund spring. He said witless one would virtuous folk approve

That Ahriman should have a fairy-bride ? May neither crown nor finger-ring be thine. If but a serpent-charmer from Kahtan Turned Magian we should slay him with an arrow." Whenas Riidaba heard her father's words

Her heart grew full, her face like fenugreek. She let her dark eyelashes droop and veil Her melancholy eyes and scarcely breathed, Her father all the while with furious heart And full of menace roaring like a pard. With blood returning to her pallid cheeks
His love-sick daughter went back to her chamber,

Where with her mother who had gained the day She prayed Almighty God to be their stay.

288

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

17

How

Minuchihr heard of

the Case of

Zdl and Ruddba

News

And

of the friendship of Mihrab and Zal of that noble ill-matched pair of lovers

Reached Minuchihr.
Before
"

The matter was discussed

:

the archmages. Said the Shah dismal time will come on us hereby.

him by

V. 185

Did Faridun purge this world of Zahhak That at Kabul Mihrab his seed might flourish This love of ZaTs must not through our neglect
Restore the drooping plant to its old vigour. If from the daughter of .Mihrab, and Zal, The son of Sam, a sharp Sword should be drawn,

On one side he will be an alien, And how shall antidote agree with bane ?
While if he favoureth the mother's side His head will be possessed by evil projects, He will fulfil Iran with strife and travail In hope to win the crown and treasure back.

What

your rede ? Strive to advise me well." the archimages blessed the Shah, Then They hailed him as the king of the Pure Faith, And said " Thou art more wise than we and hast More power to act. Let wisdom be thy guide,
is

all

And
Sent

wisdom's quarry
for

is

the Dragon's heart."

The Shah,

desirous to conclude the matter,

lieges

Naudar, with
''
:

and great men,

'

Go to Sam the cavalier, And bade him Ask What hath been thy fortune in the war ? And having seen him say Come hither first, " And journey home from us.'
'
:

'

Naudar

set forth,

And

valiant

Sam, informed

of his approach

MINUCHIHR
Went
with the paladins to welcome him With mighty elephants and kettledrums. Anon they met and interchanged their greetings. The hero Sam rejoiced to see the prince,

289

V. 186

Who
"

gave his father's message.

Sam

replied
of
;

I will

obey and joy to look on him." For that day they remained the guests
sight of

Sam,

The

rejoiced the company the board, they took the cup in hand, They spread And first they drank the health of Minuchihr,

whom

Then of Naudar, and then of Sam and all The chieftains, not forgetting any province. The livelong night was spent in revelry, But with the sunrise rose the din of tymbals The speedy dromedaries spread their wings l And toward the palace of Shah Minuchihr

They went as bidden. When he heard thereof He had the palace of the Shcihs prepared. Then from Sari and from Amul rose din, As when a fierce sea heaveth, for the spearmen Marched in their mail with heavy darts, a host That reached from range to range, with shield on shield, Whose red and yellow blent, with tymbals, pipes, Gongs, Arab horses, elephants, and treasures. On such a fashion marched that armament With flags and kettledrums on welcome bent.

18

How Sdm

came

to

Minuchihr

Sam

reached the court, alit and was received In audience by the Shah, at sight of whom He kissed the ground, and then approached
presence
;

the

Metaphorically, of course.

290

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

V. 187

While Miniichihr, encrowned with sparkling gems, Rose from his ivory throne and made Sam sit Beside him, showed the chieftain all observance And questioned him at large and anxiously About the Kargasars, about his troops, About the tierce divs of Mazandaran. The chief told all and said " Live happy ever, Ne'er may foe's malice touch thy life. Shah 1 marched upon that land of valiant divs,
: !

And such

More The warriors

divs too, like lions in the fight, swift than Arab horses and out-daring
of Iran
!

The

fierce

Sagsars

Pards in the fray concerned at mine approach, Sent up the battle-cry within their cities, And all turned out to fight a mighty host, From mountain unto mountain naught but men, So that the bright day vanished in the dust.
All eager for the fray they Came with a reckless rush

came upon me,

!

A panic
;

fell

Upon my
'

'

troops.
"

How

This anguish ? and Had fallen then on me.

I

shall I bear,' I thought, I saw not for the brunt

I roared against

them, whirled a mace that weighed three hundred mans l

And urged mine iron steed. I came among them And brained them till the foe was panic-stricken.
The grandson of the valiant worldlord Salm, As 'twere a wolf, was foremost of them all. The youth was named Karkwi, a lofty Cypress, Descended through his mother from Zahhak. The heads of nobles were but dust to him.
His army thronged like locusts or like ants And hid dale, plain, and mountain. When the dust Rose from that great host, and my troops turned pale, T reared the mace whereof one blow suflSceth
1

V.

88

A Persian measure

of weight varying greatly in different localities.

MINUCHIHR
And
led the

291

army

on.

I raised a shout

That made earth seem a millstone to the foe, While all my host was heartened and resolved To battle on. Karkwi, who heard my voice, And blows down-crashing from mine iron mace, Came like a monstrous elephant against me

To

battle, carrying a

mighty

lasso,

And sought to catch me in its noose, but I Was ware and moved me from destruction's
I took a royal bow and poplar arrows With points of steel, and urging on

path.

my

charger
fire

To

eagle's

speed I showered shafts like

And deemed his helm pegged to his anvil head Until I saw him coming mid the dust, Like some mad elephant, with Indian sword
In hand.
tains

Methought,

Shah
!

that e'en the

moun-

Would cry to him for quarter He pressed on, And I held back to tempt him to come near Then, when he closed with me, reached from my
;

grey,

Seized on the girdle of that mighty man And like a lion wrenched him from his saddle

Then

like a

Upon

dashed him the ground so that his bones were shivered.

maddened elephant

Their prince o'erthrown his soldiers fled the fight The vales and hills, the deserts and the mountains, Were crowded everywhere, while of the fallen
;

189

Upon
Were

the field

we reckoned up

ten thousand

Of horse and

foot.

Troops, citizens, and horsemen

;

verily three hundred thousand strong But weighed against thy fortune what are foes " Confronted by a servant of thy throne ? The Shah, on hearing what his chieftain said,

Raised to the

moon

his glorious diadem,

Bade hold a

festival

and saw with joy

292

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDA USI

The world freed from his foes. The night passed quickly In revelry and praises of the chieftain. At dawn the Shah held audience. Sam drew near And having done obeisance sought to speak About Mihrab and Zal, but was prevented By Mimichihr, who said with angry looks " Depart with chosen chiefs, burn Hindustan, The palace of Mihrab, and all Kabul. Let not Mihrab escape he is a remnant
:

V. 190

Left of the Dragon's seed, and filleth earth With turmoil. As for his allies and kindred, Smite off their heads, and purify the world

Of

all

the kith and kindred of Zahhak."

dared not speak, so wrathful was the Shah, But kissed the throne, then gently pressed his face Against the famous signet and replied " My conduct shall acquit the Shah of vengeance." Then with his host he sought his own abode On steeds that went like wind along the road.
:

Sam

19

How Sdm

went

to

War

against

Mihrdb

Mihrab and Zal had news of what had passed Between the Shah and Sam, Kabul was moved, And cries rose from the palace of Mihrab. Now when Sindukht, Mihrab, and e'en Riidaba
Despaired of saving either life or goods, Zal left Kabul, exclaiming as he went

With drooping mien yet resolute withal " The Dragon grim whose breath would burn the world
:

my head off ere he touch Kabul." In great concern he hasted on his journey, With much to think about and much to say.
Must take

MINUCHIHR
News reached brave Sam: "The
come."
Lion's

293

Whelp hath

The The

troops bestirred themselves and got in readiness flag of Faridun. They beat the tymbals,
chief

And

and host went out

to

welcome Zal
V. 191

With elephants whose backs were draped with banners

Of yellow, red, and violet. Zal, on seeing His father's face, alighted and approached
Afoot, as did the chiefs of both the hosts, And brave Zal kissed the ground. Sam spent a while

In converse with his son, who then remounted His chestnut Arab, like a hill of gold,

While
"
"

Thy Make

the chiefs approached him in concern. father is displeased with thee," they told him
all

thine excuse and be not obstinate."

"
:

He

said

I fear not, for

man's end

is

dust.

My

sire if

sane will not unsay his words,

And

if at first he speaketh angrily Will after weep for shame."

They reached Sam's court With much good cheer. He lighted and gave audience To Zal, who kissed the ground before his sire With ruffled feathers, 1 offering praise while tears
Fell from his eyes
"

and washed Glad be the paladin's shrewd

his rosy cheeks.

heart,"

he

said,

"And may
Thy

his spirit be the slave of justice. falchion scorcheth adamant, earth weepeth

When

thou art

fighting.

Where thy charger pranceth

and
verily

The lagging soldiers Where heaven hath

It

haste,
felt

dareth not array its Is verdant with thy justice, and the spirit Of wisdom is a seedling of thy stock.
All joy in thy just dealing; earth
1

the storm-blast of thy All earth host.

mace
V. 192

and time
Cf. pp. 302, 304.

Zal

is

regarded metaphorically as half bird.

294

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

;

Receive
I
I

it at thy hands. So do not I have no share though thine acknowledged kinsman.

am

And know no
Save
this,

the dust-fed nursling of a bird feud with any, and no fault

to

To give occasion
that

an enemy
the hero
is

Sam

my

sire

And mine accomplishment

Or ever
I

beneath such birth.

was born thou didst expose

me

Upon the mountains, harrowing my mother, And giving to the flames a thriving child.
saw no cradle and no breast of milk, I had no memory of any kindred, For thou didst cast me out, deprive my heart Of peace and tenderness, and strive against The Maker, for who maketh white and black ? Now since the Maker hath provided for me,
I

And

looked upon

me

with a Master's eye,

Skill, manhood, and a hero's sword are mine And one friend too, himself the crown of chiefs,

monarch of Kabul. Kabul by thy command And mindful of thy counsel and thy pledge.

The

brave, wise, prudent

I sojourned at

Thou saidst I ne'er will vex thee, but will bring The tree that thou hast planted into fruit,'
' :

Yet bringest

this gift

from Mazandaran,
:
!

And
V. 193

hastest from the Kargasars to further The ruin of my home such is thy justice Behold, I stand before thee and expose

My body to thy wrath. Saw me asunder, But utter not a word against Kabul.
Do
as

thou wilt

the power

is all

thine own,

But mischief to Kabul is done to me." The chief attended to Zal's words, then bowed " 'Tis all true, and I His head and answered
:

Have

dealt with thee unjustly from the

first

And given foes occasion to rejoice. What thou hast asked me is thy heart's desire And in thy trouble thou couldst find no rest Yet be not rash, let me despatch the business.
;

I will indite a letter to the

Shah
loving son do thee harm
!

And

send

it

by thy hand,

my

The worldlord

will not seek to

When
And
I

he shall see thy prowess and thy looks, have wooed his heart and soul to justice. If he shall aid us thou wilt be contented, Because the lion always hath the power To gain its ends, and everywhere alike

Can

seize

upon the quarry."

Thereupon

Zal kissed the ground with

many
20

a benison.

How

Zdl

icent

on a Miot>ion

to

Minuchihr
V. 194

Sam
The
"

wrote at large and set forth every plea. opened with the praise of God, Who is established in His seat for ever
letter
:

From Him

We
The

are good and evil, life and death all of us are slaves and God is One.

process of the sky is over all That He the Lord of Saturn, Sun, and Hath willed. His blessing be upon the

Moon
Shah

In fight an antidote-consuming bane, In feast a moon that lighteneth the world Who brandisheth the mace, who stormeth Who giveth unto each his meed of joy, Who marcheth with the flag of Faridun

cities,

To war, and slayeth haughty warrior-leopards. The lofty mountain shattered by thy mace Becometh dust upon thy proud steed's hoofs,

296

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

While thy pure heart and stainless Faith constrain Both wolf and sheep to water at thy cistern. A slave am I whose race is run, a slave

Who hath attained to sixty years twice My head is strewn with camphor-dust
That sun and moon have given me.

told.

a crown

I girt

My

warrior-loins and slaved.

fought the warlocks.

None e'er saw l horseman rein his steed, fell chiefs, Or wield a mace like me. My mighty mace
Eclipsed the warriors of Mazandaran. Did naught beside exalt me over all

V. 195

There was a dragon haunting the Kashaf And making earth afoam. It reached from city To city and from hill to hill, the hearts Of all were filled with panic men kept watch Both night and day. That dragon cleared the sky Of flying fowl and earth of beast of prey. It scorched the vulture's feathers with its blast, Set earth a-blazing where its venom fell, Dragged from the water gruesome crocodiles, And swiftly flying eagles from the air. Men and four-footed beasts ceased from the land The whole world gave it room. So seeing that none
:

Dared

to lay

I banished terror

hand upon it, from my

in God's strength
heart, girt

up

My

loins in

His exalted name, and rode

Mine elephantine steed. My saddle bore Mine ox-head mace, upon mine arm I carried My bow, and at my neck my shield. I went Forth like a savage crocodile. My hand Was keen, keen too the dragon's breath, and all Farewelled me when they saw me wield my mace. The dragon seemed a lofty mountain I came.

And

trailed

upon the ground

1

its

hairs like lassos.

Reading with C.

MINUCHIHR
Its

297
its

tongue was like a tree-trunk charred,

jaws

Were open and were

Its eyes were It bellowed when
it

path. lying in like two cisterns full of blood.

my

saw ine and came on

!

seeming all afire, O Shah The world 'gan swim before mine eyes, A black reek went up to the murky clouds, Earth's surface shook beneath the bellowing, The venom seemed to be a sea of Chin.
In
fury,

Within.

like a gallant warrior I roared Against that dragon, as a lion roareth,

Then

And

tarried not, but fitted to

tipped with adamant And shot it at the dragon's jaws, to phi The tongue against the throat; the tongue lolled pinned; The dragon was astound. Again I shot,

A poplar arrow

my bow

Again

I pierced the

mouth

the creature writhed.

I shot a third shaft right adown its jaws ; Its heart's blood spouted seething. it closed And pressed hard I took mine ox-head mace

When

me

V. 196

Lord of all, on mine steed and smote Urged elephantine The dragon's head thou wouldst have said that heaven Rained mountains down thereon. I smashed the skull, As it had been a mighty elephant's,
in the strength of God, the
:

And

And venom poured

forth like the river Nile.

So struck I that the dragon rose no more While earth was levelled to the hills with brains. Kashaf was flowing like a stream of gall And all was peace. The mountain-tops were thronged With folk who called down blessings on my head,
Because that dragon was a fearful bane. On this account men called me One blow Sam, And all threw jewels o'er me. I departed With all my shining body bare of mail
'

'

298

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

charger's

My
I

armour dropped from him

in pieces

sickened with the

venom many

days.

There was no harvest in those parts for years Nor aught except the ashes of burnt thorns. To tell my conflict with the divs would make The letter tedious, but in that and elsewhere I trampled underfoot the heads of chieftains,

And

wheresoe'er I rode

my my

wind-foot charger

I cleared that region of the And now this many a year

rending

lion.

Hath been

My

back been mine earth. charger massive mace hath brought beneath thy sway

my

saddle's

my

throne,

v. 197

Mazandaran and all the Kargasars I ne'er have asked for field or fell but sought To make thee both victorious and happy, My neck and mace-blows are not what they were, My breast and loins are bent I used to throw
;
;

lasso sixty cubits long,

Zal, as

but now

Am bent by time and have resigned my duties

To
Like

My

worthy of my mace and girdle. he will destroy thy foes and make heart glad with his prowess. He hath come

me

To ask the Shah to grant his secret longing, One excellent in God's sight, apart from Whom There is no excellence. We have not moved
Therein as yet but wait the great king's will, For slaves must not presume. My lord the Shah,

The guardian

of the world, hath surely heard

How once and publicly I promised Zal, When I was bringing him from Mount Alburz,
Not to refuse him aught, and he hath come, Besmeared with blood and dust, and bones in bits, 'Twere better far With his request. He said To hang Amul l than fall upon Kabul.'
'
:

Mintichihr's capital.

MINUCHIHR
But when a fowl-fed outcast on the mountains
Seeth in Kabulistan so bright a Moon Cypress slim crowned with a rosary

299

It is

no wonder

if

he goeth mad,
to visit
it

Nor ought the Shah

His

upon him.
!

All pity him, his pangs of love are such

many undeserved

afflictions

borne

Evoked the promise that the Shah hath heard, And I have sent him with a heavy heart. When he shall come before thy lofty throne Do that which is most consonant with greatness

There is not any need to teach thee wisdom. Him and him only have I in the world To share my sorrows or to succour me. From Sam the son of Nariman be blessings A thousand fold upon the king of kings And on the lords." When all things were prepared Zal took the letter hastily, arose, Went forth and mounted mid the blare of trumpets. A troop of warriors went with him to court At speed. Thus from Zabulistan l went he While " One blow " Sam enjoyed his rosary.

v. 198

2I

How Mihrdb

was Wroth with Sindukht

were bruited at Kabul Mihrab in fury called Sindukht and vented His rage against Riidaba on his wife.
these events
2

When

He
1

said

"
:

Must
2
I.e.

yield

The only course for me, since I before the monarch of the world,

So C. and P.

V. apparently by oversight reads Kiibulistdn. the Shah's wrath and his instructions to Sam to destroy

Kdbul.

300

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Is to take thee with thy polluted child

And

slay you shamefully and publicly. Thereat perchance the Shah will be appeased And earth grow peaceful. Who within Kabul Would dare to strive with Sam or feel his mace

"
?

V. 199

Sindukht sank down before him and considered. hit on an expedient, For she was shrewd and subtle, came before The sunlike king with folded arms and said " Hear but one word from me, then do thy will. If thou hast wealth to purchase life bestow it, And know thou that this night is big with fate. Yet though night seeineth long 'twill pass, and

Then having

earth

Be

like a signet-ring of Badakhshan." Mihrab replied " No old wives' tales to warriors Say what thou know'st and use all means for life,
:

Or else array thee in the robe of blood." She said " There is no need of that, great king But I must go to Sam to draw this sword And to appeal to him in fitting terms, For wisdom is the cook when speech is raw. To labour for our lives is my part, thine To find the presents and entrust to me
:

Thy hoarded
"

wealth."
"

Here

is

the key," he said,

We
"

grieve at spending treasure. and casques to go. thrones, horses, slaves, Prepare from the flames our save country yet may

One must not always

To shine though faded now."

If

thou

Sindukht replied desirest life hold treasure cheap.

While

No

I avert the danger thou must use harshness toward my child. My greatest care
is

Here

her

life

give

me

a pledge for that.

MINUCHIHR
I care

301

not for myself

all

my

concern

And

travail are for her."

She took his pledge, Then boldly faced the danger, clad herself
and jewels from the her and About head, treasury took Three hundred thousand pieces as a largess.
All in brocade of gold with pearls

They brought forth thirty steeds of Arab stock Or Persian with their silvern equipage
;

V. 200

And

sixty slaves with golden torques, each bearing

A golden goblet

brimmed with camphor, musk,

all

Gold, turquoises, and jewels of

kinds;

One hundred female camels with red hair, One hundred baggage-mules; a crown of jewels

Fit for a king, with armlets, torques, and earrings throne of gold like heaven, all inlaid
divers sorts of gems, the width thereof twenty royal cubits and the height
;

With

Was
The

stature of a noble horseman lastly Four mighty Indian elephants to bring Bales full of wearing-stuffs and carpeting.

22

How Sam
The

comforted Sindukht

treasures having been despatched she In warrior-guise, swift as a lightning-flash,

mounted

Assumed a Human helm and rode a steed As swift as wind, approached Sam's court unknown

And bade the officers announce her thus " An envoy from Kabul hath come to seek
:

The mighty

chief, the

hero of Zabul,

302

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Charged with a message from Mihrab to Sam, The winner of the world." The chamberlain Went to tell Sam, who granted audience.
Sindukht dismounted, hasted
V. 201

to the chief

And And

kissed the ground, with praises of the of the chief of paladins. The largess,

Shah

The slaves, the horses, and the elephants Stretched from the gate two miles. She offered all To Sam, who sat there dazed, like one bemused, With folded arms and drooping head. He thought
"

female envoys from so rich a country If I accept the Shah will be displeased
;

Come

If I decline then Zal will be chagrined And flap his wings about like the Simurgh."

head and said " As for these goods, These slaves and elephants caparisoned,

He

raised his

Go

give

them

to Zal's treasurer as presents

Sent by the Beauty of Kabulistan." Then fairy-faced Sindukht essayed to speak, Rejoicing that her offerings were accepted

And

all

had ended

well.

Three of her handmaids,

With

idol-faces, tall as

cypresses

And fair as jasmine, bearing each a goblet Which brimmed with pearls and rubies, poured them
out In one promiscuous shower before the chieftain. This done and strangers gone she said to Sam
:

V. 202

maketh old folk young. Thou teachest Thy The mighty wisdom, who through thee illume The world. Thou hast sealed up the hand of ill And opened with thy mace the way of God.
counsel
any, was to blame, and he What have our people done Is weeping blood. That thou must raze Kabul ? They only live

"

Mihrab,

if

MINUCHIHR
To do thy hest
slaves of the very dust

303

Upon thy feet. Fear Him who hath created Both mind and might, bright Venus and the Sun. He would not countenance such acts from thee
:

Gird not thy loins

"

for bloodshed."

Sam
Come
tell

replied

ask and palter not. Art thou the slave or consort of Mihrab, Whose daughter Zal hath seen ? Tell me that
I

me what

May

judge her worthiness, her mind and temper,

Her face, hair, stature, looks, and understanding Whatever thou hast noted tell me all."

quake That thou wilt never injure me or mine. I have a palace, wealth, and mighty kindred. First reassure me and I will reply In hope to win thy favour, and will send Our hoarded treasures to Zabul."

O paladin, chief of paladins, the warriors' stay First swear an oath whereat the land shall
Sindukht replied
to

him

"

The

V. 203

Sam
Her hand and took the

grasped

oath, on hearing which, And marking that his speech and pledge were frank, She kissed the ground, then rose and told him all " My race is from Zahhak, O paladin
: !

Spouse to Mihrab, that ardent warrior, Am I, and mother of rnoon-faced Riidaba, Of her o'er whom Zal poureth out his soul. We and our kin before all-holy God Bless all night long the Shah, and thee, and Zal. I come to know thy will, and how thou holdest Us in Kabul. If we be bad by race And sinners all unfit for rule, behold I stand before thee sorrowing. Slay thou and bind who Who should be slain should be bound,
!

304

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

all

But as for Burn not

ness."

the guiltless of Kabul their hearts nor turn their days to dark-

A
"

The paladin on hearing saw in her woman of counsel and of ardent soul,
:

With cheeks like spring, in height a cypress-tree, With reed-like waist and pheasant's gait. He said
pledge shall hold although it cost Live safely and rejoicing at Kabul

My

my

life.

With
Shall

all

thy kindred.
Riidaba.

I assent that Zal

wed

Though our

race

is

other
;

*-Than yours, yet ye deserve the crown and throne The world so waggeth and no shame to us
;

We cannot
Who
V. 204

strive against the Almighty Maker, doth whate'er.He willeth in such wise
'

Ah me That we are ever crying out One is exalted and another humbled,
:

'
!

And

The heart

while one fareth well another quaketh. of one is furnished by his increase,

Another's minished by his poverty, But after all the end of both is dust

The element

that slayeth every race. I will exert myself on thy behalf

Because of thine appeal and bitter

cry,

And have

already written to the Shah letter with the plaint of one in pain,

And And

Zal hath gone with

!

it.

Hath flown
The Shah

He saw no

saddle

Hath gone nay rather when he mounted,

! !

then his roadster's hoofs saw not the ground will smile and give a gracious answer, bird's For this fosterling is out of heart He standeth in the mire made by his tears, And if his sweetheart is as fond as he is
;

Their skins will never hold them.

Prithee

now

Let

me

behold the Dragon's child, just once,

MINUCHIHR

305

On
If

thine

own

terms.

The

sight

may weigh

with

me
both her looks and locks

commend

themselves."

She answered
His
slave, let
will

"
:

him

If the paladin will gladden vouchsafe to visit her

:

Her head

reach high heaven.

If to

Kabul

We
Our

bring a king like thee,

lives as offerings."

we

will present

She saw

his smiles

And

that

all

hate was rooted from his heart

"
: ;

Be not concerned this matter Will shortly turn out to thy wish."
replied

As he

Sindukht

Then asking leave withdrew, and went away In full content, her cheeks like gems for joy. She sent a lusty courier like wind To tell Mihrab " Be easy in thy mind, Rejoice and make thee ready for a guest.
:

V. 205

I follow quickly."

Next day, when the sun Shot up and heads awoke from drowsiness, Saluted as the Moon of noble dames, Sindukht proceeded to the court of Sam, Did him obeisance, spake with him at large, And asked permission to go home rejoicing To tell Mihrab about the new-made league,

And get all ready to receive their guest. Sam said " Depart and tell him everything."
:

They chose choice

gifts for

And Sam

for Riidaba too

her and for Mihrab, that lovesome maid.

gave Sindukht withal all that was his Within Kabul of palaces and gardens, Of tilth, milch cattle, carpets and apparel, Then took her hand, re-swore his oath and said " Be happy at Kabul, and fear no foe."

306

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

With favouring stars the pale Moon's face again Grew bright, and she went homeward with her train.

23

How

Zdl came

to

Minfichihr with Sam's Letter

V. 206

Now hearken how Zal fared with Minuchihr That favourite of fortune. News arrived " Zal, son of Sam the cavalier, hath come." The nobles went to welcome him. On reaching The court he had an audience and did homage,
:

Remaining with his face upon the ground. The kind Shah's heart was won he bade to purge Zal's face of dust and sprinkle him with musk, And, when the well-beloved approached the throne, " How didst thou fare mid wind and dust Inquired
;
:

On

thy hard journey, child of paladins ? " Zal answered Through thy Grace than well
:

"

'twas

more

"

Thou turnest every trouble to delight." The Shah then took Sam's letter, read and smiled. " Thou hast increased an ancient grief of mine,"

He

said,

Which

yet for thy father's touching letter, ancient Sam hath written in his trouble,
heart,

"

Although the matter hath much grieved my I am resolved to think of it no more, And will perform and carry out thy wish,
Since that
is all to

thee

but tarry here

affairs."

While

I deliberate

on thine

The cooks brought in a service all of gold Whereat the king of kings sat down with Zal,

And
The

ordered
feast.

all

the chieftains to partake

The eating done, they served the wine

Within another throne-room, and that over

MINUCHIHR
Zal mounted on his charger with gold trappings, And so departing passed the livelong night

307

With much to think and talk about. At dawn He came with girded loins to Miniichihr Of glorious Grace, who gave him salutation And praised him privily when he had gone. The Shah commanded that the archimages, The nobles, wise men, and astrologers,
Should meet at his high throne and read the stars. They met and laboured for three days and then Announced " We have perused the circling sky, And this is what the stars prognosticate No stagnant pool is here. There will arise From Sam's son and the daughter of Mihrab A hero full of prowess and fair fame. His life will be prolonged for centuries He will have strength, renown, and Grace, pluck, brains, And thews, and not a peer in fight or feast. Where'er his charger's coat shall run with sweat The liver of his foemen shall run dry. The eagle will not soar above his helm Naught will he reck of chiefs and men of name.
: : ;

V. 207

'

He

will be tall in stature, great in might, Will take the lion with his twisted lasso, Will roast whole onagers upon the fire, Will make the air weep with his scimitar, Will be the belted servant of the Shahs

horsemen of Iran.' " Then said the exalted Shah " Beware that ye Disclose to none what ye have told to me."

And

shelter of the

Beading with

C.

3o8

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

24

How
V. 208

the

Archmages questioned Zdl

The Shah called Zal to prove him by hard questions. The shrewd archmages and the men of lore Sat in full conclave, and examined him

On many
"

matters veiled in mystery.

that

One asked

man

of insight, wit,

and knowledge

What

are the dozen cypresses erect In all their bravery and loveliness,
of

Each one

In Persia

them with thirty boughs bedeckt " never more and never less ?
"
:

The second

said

O
is

noble youth
this

explain
:

What
As

are those two steeds

moving rapidly
;

And

crystal bright that one sable as a pitchy sea

one of the twain

They gallop at their utmost speed and strain " Each one to catch the other, but in vain ? " What are the thirty men The third said thus Who ride before their king in order meet And seem but twenty-nine to thee, but when " Thou countest them their number is complete ? " What is the meadow-land, The fourth inquired Where streams abound and herbage groweth strong, To which a fierce man cometh, in whose hand
:
:

There

is

a scythe, a sharp one and a long

?

He cutteth all the grass both green and dry, And if thou criest heareth not thy cry " " What are those cypresses a lofty pair
Like reeds above a sea whose waters heave,"

and what bird nesteth there and on that at eve ? The bird departeth and the leaves turn pale, The bird arriveth and they musk exhale.
Another asked,

"

On

this at morning,

MINtlCHIHR
In
all

309
V. 209

their verdure both are never seen

sere, the other green."
"
:

Together, but one

The

sixth said

On

a mountain I descried

that was strongly fortified. The citizens, those men exceeding wise, Preferred thereto a thornbrake on the waste

A city

And

there as monarchs or as subjects placed town with buildings lifted to the skies.
of the city

The memory
'Tis

now hath
;

gone,

not accounted of by any one But some day suddenly the earth will quake, The country vanish from the sight of men,

Remembrance

of the city will awake,

And

Now

long regret possess the citizen. look behind the veil, explore the words, And if thou canst the secret sense unfold,
it

Declare

And make

here in presence of the lords, the purest musk from grimy mould."
.

,*

25

How
Then shook
"

Z&l ansicered the Archmages

Zal for a while remained absorbed in thought,

his plumage,

spread his wings,

and

answered:
First as to those twelve cypresses

which rear
:

Themselves, with thirty boughs upon each tree They are the twelve new moons of every year, Like new-made monarchs, throned in majesty.

Upon

For each

the thirtieth day its course is done thus our revolving periods run.
; :

Thou speakest of two chargers, black and white, Which like Azargashasp go flashing by
These too are periods, and in their flight Pursue each other unremittingly.

310

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

The two that pass along are night and day, The pulses of the sky are reckoned so
;

They never catch each other as they But follow as a hound pursueih prey.
V. 210

go,

Again, thou askest of the thirty

men

That ride before their king in order meet,

And seem
They

Thou countest them

to thee as twenty-nine, but when their number is complete.

are the phases of the

moon one
;

night

phase from time to time eludeth sight. Unsheathe we now the hidden sense expressed By two tall cypresses, a bird and nest. The darker limb of heaven is opposed
Aries to Libra in the height the reign of Pisces hath been closed Thence
;

With

till

The ascendant limb is that of gloom and night. Each lofty cypress-tree denoteth one Of these two limbs which cause our smiles and tears, The bird which flieth 'twixt them is the sun
Occasion to the world of hopes and Again, the city built upon the mount
Is our long
fears.
1

home, the scene of our account.

:

This Wayside Inn is meant by Thornbrake town, At once our pleasure, treasure, pain and woe It reckoneth each breath drawn here below

And

both exalteth us and casteth down.

1 Putting aside modern astronomical notions the idea seems somewhat as follows: the sky, as represented by the Signs of the Zodiac, is divided into a lighter and a darker portion or "limb" the lighter, Spring and Summer, being represented by the Signs from Aries to Virgo and the darker, Autumn and Winter, by those from Libra to The "limbs" are alternately more or less in evidence, while Pisces. " the sun is continually journeying from one " limb to the other. The double alternation of light and darkness is thus accounted for that of the lighter and darker seasons of the year by the movements of the sky, and that of day and night by the movement of the sun. The
;
;
;

former rules man's destiny, the latter chiefly influences his daily

life.

MINUCHIHR

311

A storm
And
Where

ariseth, earth's foundations quake, Extorting from the world a bitter cry ;

We leave
But not

our

toils

behind us in the brake

seek the city that is built on high. we have toiled another hath the gain,
for ever
; :

he

will

not remain.

Twas

change is vain. If our provision be an honoured name Our souls will be on that account held dear, But if we do the deeds of greed and shame That will, when we have breathed our last, appear. Albeit we have raised to Saturn here Our mansion we shall have a shroud instead, No more. The dust and bricks close o'er our head And all is consternation, awe, and fear. As for the meadow-land, and him whose keen Scythe is a terror both to green and dry, Who cutteth all alike, both dry and green, And if thou criest heareth not thy cry Time is the mower we are like the swath The grandsire and the grandson are the same
always so
; ;

to look for

V. 211

To him, not making young or old his aim, But chasing each that cometh in his path. The use and process of the world are so
:

No

mother's son

is

born unless

for death,

By this door we arrive, by that we go, And time meanwhile accounteth every

breath."

How

Zdl displayed his Accomplishment before Minuchihr

When

Zal had thus expounded

all

the riddles
"
!

The company both wondered and

rejoiced,
:

While Minuchihr, glad-hearted, cried " Well done He had forthwith a banquet-hall prepared,

312

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

'twere the moon at full, and there they quaffed Wine till the night fell, and the revellers' heads Became bemused. Then at the portal rose

As

Shouts for the steeds, and glorious in their cups The warriors grasped hands and went their ways. Now when the sunshine struck the mountain-tops

212

And when the chiefs awoke, Zal, ready-girt And lion-like, approached the royal presence
For leave
"

to hie

him home, and thus he

!

said

My gracious lord I long to see Sam's face. Since I have kissed the footings of thy throne
Of ivory thy Grace and crown illume

My

heart."

The Shah

said

"
:

Youthful warrior

Thou must bestow upon us still one day. Thou yearnest for the daughter of Mihrab

And

not for Sam."

bells

He bade to carry gongs and clarions to the ground, And all the warriors went forth rejoicing With lances, maces, and artillery. They took their bows and poplar shafts and let A mark stand for the foe. They wheeled and showed Their horsemanship with mace, sword, shaft, and lance, While from a height the Shah, seen or unseen By them, observed their skill, but never saw Or heard of horsemanship like Zal's. There stood Upon the ground an ancient tree. Zal took His bow, urged on his steed, and raised his name By striking that tall tree and piercing it
With Indian
Full in the centre with the royal shaft. Then certain of the javelin-men took bucklers

And

exercised with double-headed darts.

hide,

Zal bade his

Turkman slave bring shields of Drew himself up and urged his steed along,

MINUCHIHR
Then dropped
his bow, took his

313

own javelin

And made new sport. He struck and pierced three shields And flung them to one side in high disdain. The Shah said to the chiefs " What mighty man
:

V. 213

Will challenge him to prove his weight in combat He hath knocked dust out of two-headed darts

And

arrows."

Then the warriors donned their mail With wrathful hearts and curses on their tongues.
They pricked forth to the combat bearing spears With heads of tempered steel. Zal urged his steed, Made the dust fly, and, when the battle joined,
Selected from the rest a cavalier

Of fame and high estate at whom he charged. The warrior turned and fled. Zal, leopard-like,

Emerging from the dust, seized on his belt took him from his saddle with such ease That both the Shah and army were astound, The chiefs exclaiming " None will see his peer." The Shah said " May he ever be thus ardent. The mother of the man that dareth him To battle will wear mourning for her son. The lionesses bear not one so brave, So brave ... he must be classed with crocodiles

And

And Sam

is

blessed indeed to leave the world

Such a memorial."

He

praised the youth,

As did the famous warriors. Then they went, With girded loins and casques upon their heads, Toward the palace where the Shah prepared A robe of honour that astonished all The chieftains, with a precious crown and throne Of gold, with armlets, torques, and golden girdles, Rich robes, slaves, steeds, and other things of worth, And gave the whole to Zal, who kissed the earth.

314

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

27
Mintichihr's Ansiver to Sdm's Letter
V. 214

The Shah then wrote a very gracious letter To Sam " Renowned and valiant paladin,
:

In

all

emprise victorious like a

lion,

And

For That glorious son of thine

peerless in the sight of turning heaven feast, for fight, for counsel and for favour

brave Zal

at

whom

The lion is aghast in battle-tide, The brave accomplished warrior and horseman Of lasting fame, hath come, and I, on learning Thy wishes and his longings, granted him
All his desires,

A long and
Have
Zal sent to

and count upon his having glorious life. Should leopard-hunters

"
?

other issue than the strong-clawed lion Exalted o'er the rest and in high favour

Sam

to say

"
:

I left the

Shah

With

all

that I could wish

a royal robe

Of honour, crowns, torques, armlets, and a throne Of ivory, and am coming with all speed,

My loving,

glorious sire

"

V. 215

Sam gladdened so That his hoar head grew young. He hurried off A horseman to Kabul to tell Mihrab The kindness of the Shah which had produced Such joy, and added " After Zal's return
:

We

will set out to

The messenger sped

pay thee our respects." Mihrab on hearing forth.

So joyed to make Kabul's Sun his affine That through his joy the dead returned to life And aged heads grew young. They summoned minstrels,

And one had

said that all poured out their souls.

MINUCHIHR
and joyful heart he called High-born Sindukht and beaming said to her " My consort, whose advice is prosperous Thy counsel hath illumed our gloomy dwelling. Thou hast laid hand upon a sprout whereto The monarchs of the world will do obeisance. Since thou hast ordered matters from the first Thine be it also to accomplish them.

315

With smiling

lips

My treasury is all at thy disposal For what is needed throne, or crown, or wealth." Sindukht on this withdrew and gave her daughter The news, and joyful hopes of seeing Zal. She said " Thy choice of partner is most fit, And men and women, howsoever strict, Will see good cause to let their strictures cease.
:

Thou hast sped quickly

Riidaba answered
"
:

to thy heart's desire." Consort of the king

!

Thou meritest the praise of every one. I make the dust upon thy feet my pillow,

And May And

religion by thy teaching. Ahrimans be far from thee, be thy heart and soul the house of feasting." Sindukht on hearing this bedecked the palace,

order

my

eyes of

Arrayed the hall like jocund Paradise, Mixed wine and musk and ambergris and spread Gold-broidered carpets, some inwoven with emeralds

v. 216

And

Each

others patterned out in lustrous pearls several pearl was like a water-drop. She placed a golden throne within the hall,

So do they use in Chin.

The

tracery

Was

gems with carvings interspersed, The feet were jewelled 'twas a royal throne And very splendid. She arrayed Riidaba Like Paradise, wrote on her many a charm
all

of

And

seated her, allowing none to enter

316

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

Within that chamber arabesqued with gold. 1 Kabulistan was dight in festal trim, All colour, scent, and wealth. They housed the backs Of the elephants with rich brocade of Rum And seated on them minstrels wearing crowns. All was prepared for welcoming the guests

And And
To

all

the slaves were

spicery, to

summoned to strew musk down furs and silks, put

fling

down gold and musk, and

Wine and

sprinkle round rose-water on the dusty ground.

28

How

Zdl came

to

Sdm

Zal sped like bird on wing or ship at sea And all that heard of his approach went out

v. 217

To welcome him with joy. The palace rang With shouts " Zal hath succeeded and returned. Sam met him joyfully and held him close Embraced. When Zal had disengaged himself
:

He kissed the ground and told his news. Anon Sam, seated on his splendid throne with Zal, Blithe-hearted and in great content, began
To

And

about the matter of Sindukht, " A woman named kept his countenance Sindukht brought me a message from Kabul, And made me promise not to be her foe. I granted all that she was pleased to ask First that the future monarch of Zabul
tell
:

Shall have the Beauty of Kabul to wife, And next that we will go and be her guests

To

heal

all sores.
1

Now

she hath sent to say

entertained
Ztll.

Where she had once

MINUCHIHR
'

317

All things are ready, scented and adorned.'

answer shall we send high-born Mihrab ? Then Zal blushed ruby-red from head to foot With sudden joy, and said " O paladin If it seem good to thee send on the troops
: !

What

"

And let us follow and discuss the matter." Sam smiled at Zal, aware of his desire,
For he could talk of nothing but Rudaba,

And got no sleep at nights for thinking of her. Sam bade to sound the gongs and Indian bells And have prepared the royal tent-enclosure. He sent a cameleer, a valiant man,
To advertise the lion-like Mihrab The chieftain is upon his way with Zal And elephants and troops escorting them." He went with speed and told Mihrab, who joyed His cheeks grew ruddy as the cercis-bloom. He sounded trumpets, mounted kettledrums,
:

"

v. 218

And
Of

furnished forth his

army

like the eye

chanticleer.

Made

Huge elephants and minstrels earth a Paradise from end to end.

with the

What

many

flags of

painted silk

Of divers colours, sound of pipes and harps, The blast of trumpets and the din of gongs, One would have said " It is a festival, The Resurrection or the Last Great Day." Thus went Mihrab till he encountered Sam, He then dismounted and approached on foot. That paladin of paladins embraced him And asked if all were well. Mihrab began To compliment both Sam and Zal, then like The ii6w moon rising o'er the mountain-tops He mounted his fleet steed and set a crown Of gold and jewels on the head of Zal.
:

Conversing of the past they reached Kabul.

3i8

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

with the clang of Indian
bells,

What

the sounds
:

Of lyre and harp and pipe, one would have said " The roofs and doors make music. Times are changed The horses' manes and forelocks ran with saffron And musk. Then with three hundred female slaves

"
!

With girded loins, each with a cup of gold Which brimmed with musk and gems, Sindukht
proached, And all blessed

ap-

Sam and

showered forth the jewels.

:

Each person present on that happy day

v. 219

Had
"

How long wilt

is

full. Sam smiled and asked " thou conceal Rudaba thus ? " If thou wouldst see the Sun Sindukht replied

treasure to the

What

my

fee

"
?

Sam

answered

"
:

What thou
all

wilt

My treasures,
Where
all

crown, throne, country

are thine."
gold,

They sought the chamber arabesqued with

was jocund Spring, and Sam, entranced, Struck dumb, and dazzled, viewed the moon-faced maid. At last he said to Zal " Thou lucky youth
:
!

God

greatly helped thee

when

this glorious

Sun

Set her affections on thy face. " Is choice indeed

!

Thy Choice
desire

By Sam's

Mihrab

Approached They placed the happy couple on one throne And scattered emeralds and carnelians. Her coronet was wrought of gold and his Of royal gems. Mihrab produced and read The inventory of his daughter's dowry " 'Tis more than ear can hear." Till one had cried Sam was confounded when he realised The treasures, and invoked the name of God. Then hall and city revelled for a week, The palace was a Paradise in raptures,
:

to execute the legal contract.

MINUCHIHR
And
neither Zal nor coral-lipped Riidaba Slept for a sennight either day or night
;

319

22

Then going to the palace from the hall They spent three weeks in joy, while all the nobles With armlets on stood ranked outside. One month
Elapsed and Sam departed to Si'stan. Zal spent a happy week in getting ready
Steeds, howdahs, litters

curtained couch.
at ease

for Riidaba's use Sindukht, Mihrab, and

;

all

Their kin set off

first for Si'stan,

glad-hearted,

With minds

and lips all praise to God, Who giveth good, and there arrived triumphant, Illuminating earth with joy and laughter. Sam had a feast prepared. Three days were spent In revelling, then while Sindukht remained Mihrab returned attended to Kabul, While Sam gave up the realm to Zal and led His army westward 'gainst the Kargasars, With flaunting flag and favouring auguries.
"

because those fields are mine, not men's hearts and eyes. I have the patent Though From Minuchihr. Have and enjoy,' he said.
I go," said he,
'

"

I fear

me

The

divs above

that the miscreants will rebel, all of Mazandaran.

V. 221

I give to thee,

Zal

this state, this realm,

And

glorious crown."

Sam

of the single blow

Departed, leaving Zal upon the throne,

A happy

husband holding

festivals,

And when He placed

Riidaba sat beside her spouse a crown of gold upon her brows.

320

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAUSI

29

The Story of

the Birth of

Rustam

v. 222

Ere long the noble Cypress was in bearing, Delightsome Spring grew sere, her heart was sad, She wept blood for the burden that she bore. Gone was her cercis-bloom, her cheeks were saffron. Sindukht said unto her " Life of thy mother " Why hast thou grown so wan ? Riidaba answered " I and for I lie By night day cry help. and a withered like Sleepless living corpse. My time hath come but not deliverance." Until that came she lacked both rest and sleep. One would have said " Her skin is stuffed with stones Or iron." Now one day she swooned, and shrieks Rose from the halls of Zal. Sindukht bewailed, Plucked out her raven tresses musk-perfumed And tore her face. Then one announced to Zal " The leaves have withered on thy lofty Cypress," And he with tearful cheeks and stricken heart Approached the couch whereon Riidaba lay. The female slaves were tearing out their hair Unveiled with tearful faces. Then occurred A thought to Zal which eased him of his anguish
:

The plume

of the Simurgh. 1 He smiling told Sindukht, then brought a censer, kindled fire

And burnt some of the plume. The air grew dark And that imperious bird swooped down a Cloud Whose drops were pearls pearls, say I, rather peace.
.
.

Zal did obeisance long and praised her much. She thus addressed him " Wherefore is this grief,
:

This moisture in the mighty Lion's eye

1

Of. pp. 235, 246.

MINUCHIHR
From
this moon-faced and silver-bosomed Cypress Will come a noble babe. The mighty lion Will kiss the dust upon his feet. No cloud

321

Will dare to pass above him.

When

he shouteth

The pard will split its skin and gnaw its paws. The warriors that see his whizzing mace, His chest, his arms and neck, will hear his voice With quaking hearts, steel-eaters though they be

And

gallant fighters for this child will prove In counsels and in rede a weighty Sam, In height a cypress-tree, in wrath a lion,
;

Two

In strength an elephant, and fillip bricks miles. His birth will not be natural,

V. 223

So willeth

A blue-steel dagger,
Bemuse Her pain and
fear,

giveth good. seek a cunning man, the lady first with wine to ease

He who

Bring thou

then

let

him

ply his craft

And

by piercing Her waist while all unconscious, thus imbruing Her side in blood, and then stitch up the gash. Put trouble, care, and fear aside, and bruise With milk and musk a herb that I will show thee And dry them in the shade. Dress and anoint Rudaba's wound and watch her come to life.
gracious shade Will prove a blessing. Let this gladden thee. Then go before the Lord who hath bestowed
o'er

take the Lion from

its lair

Rub

the

wound my plume,

its

This royal Tree which ever blossometh Good fortune. Be not troubled for this matter, Because thy fertile Bough will yield thee fruit."

She spake, and plucking from her wing a plume Dropped it and flew aloft. Zal picked it up And did, marvel as the bird had said, While every one looked on amazedly With wounded spirit and with bloodshot eyes.
!

322

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

shall the infant tears of blood in torrents, asking come forth through the side
:

Smdukht wept
"

How

"
?

V. 224

There came an archimage, one deft of hand, moon-faced dame bemused with wine, Then pierced her side while she was all unconscious, And having turned the infant's head aright Delivered her uninjured. None had seen A thing so strange. The babe was like a lion, A hero tall and fair to look upon. Both men and women wondered at him, none Had heard of such an elephantine child. A day and night the mother lay asleep, Bemused, unconscious. They the while sewed up The wound and eased the anguish with the dressing. When she awoke and whispered to Sindukht They showered gold and jewels over her And praised the Almighty. Then they brought the babe

Who made the

To her, extolling him as heavenly. The first day thou hadst called him twelve months A very heap of lilies mixed with tulips. The lofty Cypress smiled upon the babe, Perceived in him the Grace of king of kings,
And,
"

old

am

magnified," she said,

"

and grief
"

Is over."

So they named the infant

Rustam."

They made of silk a herolet the size Of that unsuckled Lion, stuffing it With sable's hair and limning Sol and Venus

Upon the cheeks, with dragons on the arms, And on the hands a lion's claws. Beneath
The arm there was
V. 225

a spear,

mace

in one

hand

And bridle in the other. They set the puppet Upon a chestnut horse with great attendance.
1

The word
"
I

or

in the Persian may also mean " Je suis delivree bear fruit," lit., " There is fruit to me."

"

(Mohl),

MINUCHIHR
This done they sent on

323

first a cameleer showered drachms on those who were in charge, Apace, And took the puppet mace in hand to Sam. In all the country round they held high revel, The desert was supplied with pipe and wine. Inside Kabul Mihrab enjoyed the tidings And showered dinars upon the mendicants, While in Zabul the revellers sat together Without distinction as to high and low, But mixed like warp and woof.

They brought the puppet To Sam the cavalier, who looked thereon, Grew glad and well content. That hero's hair
Stood up on end. " This silken thing," said he, " Is just like me. If he is half this size His head will touch the sky, his skirt the ground." He called the messenger and poured drachms

o'er

him
Until the heap was level with his head. The drums beat in the court for joy, Sam decked The champaign like the eye of chanticleer
Aikd bade adorn the land of the Sagsars

He had wine brought, and showered drachms on mendicants. A week passed and the famous chieftain wrote A letter like the meads of Paradise To Zal. He offered praises first to God That matters had turned out so happily, Praised Zal the lord of mace and scimitar,
all

And

Mazandaran.

V. 226

C; lied minstrels

Then coming Which had a

to the effigy of silk, hero's neck and Grace of kings,

" So cherish him that not a breath Enjoined: May hurt him. I have prayed by day and night In secret to Almighty God to show me

A son born

of thy seed and of

my

type.

324

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

that the backs of both of us are straightened only need to pray that we may live."

Now

We

V. 227

Came like a rushing wind the messenger To Zal of ardent and exulting heart, Told him of Sam's delight and gave the letter. As soon as Zal had heard those pleasant words, Which caused the clear-brained hero added joy, He raised his neck to touch the azure sky. Thus went the world with Zal and showed its purpose. Ten nurses suckled Rustam, for from milk Are strength and constitution. Being weaned He lived on bread and flesh. He ate as much As five, and people turned from such repasts. When Rustam had attained the height of eight 1

And grown

a noble Cypress or bright Star

all

Star whereat the world was

said
"
:

agaze

Thou wouldst have

'Tis valiant

Sam

indeed

In stature, wisdom, countenance, and rede."

30

How Sam

came
of Zal

to see

Rustam
a lion,

Sam

heard

"
:

The son

is like

None

ever saw a child so fierce and stalwart."

His heart was stirred in him, and he resolved Himself to see the boy. He left in charge The captain of the host and went with escort, Drawn by his love, toward Zabulistan. Then earth grew ebon, for Zal heard the news, Bound on the drums and went with brave Mihrab

To welcome Sam.

When

Zal had dropped the ball

side.

Shouts of departure rose on every

1

Firdausi does not specify the measure.

Mohl

translates

" huit

palmes,"

MINUCHIHR
The mass of men stretched out from hill to hill, With buckler after buckler red and yellow. Then trumpeted the elephant and neighed The Arab steed, five miles that din resounded. They had one mighty elephant caparisoned

325

And

furnished with a golden throne, whereon

The son of Zal sat with his cypress-form, And what a neck and shoulders crowned and girt, With bow and shafts in hand, and shield before him.
!

Sam saw and ranked his troops upon each side. Mihrab and Sam dismounted, and the elders
Fell prostrate, calling blessings down on Sam, Whose face bloomed like a rose. With gladdened heart

V. 228

He

smiled to see the child so strongly built

whelp upon an elephant. brought just as they were, surveyed The boy thus crowned and throned, and blessed him,
lion's

He had them
:

"

saying Live long and happily, thou matchless Lion." Then Rustam kissed Sam's throne and, wonderful
tell
!

To
"

saluted
!

him

in this

new

fashion

Great paladin rejoice. I am thine offshoot Be thou my root. The slave of Sam am I, But am not one for banquet, dream, and ease,
I

would have steed and saddle, mail and helm, Despatch my compliments by bolt and arrow, And by God's bidding trample on foes' heads. My face is like to thine, so be my courage."

He lighted. Sam the chieftain grasped his hand And kissed his head and eyes. Meanwhile the tymbals And elephants were still. Then full of glee And talk they all betook them to the palace And revelled merrily on golden seats,
resting for a month with harp and song. Upon the throne there sat victorious Sam,

V. 229

Thus

326

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

An eagle's feather drooping from his crown, Flanked by his son and Rustam mace in hand, On whom the grandsire gazed amazedly, Invoked o'er him the name of God and thought " With such a neck and arms, such thews and shoulders, Such reed-like waist, such ample chest and breast,
:

Such thighs like those of mighty dromedaries, Such lion's heart and lion-tiger might, Such goodly features, neck, and Grace, he hath

No
No

" peer on earth," then said to Zal Although Thou question back a hundred generations,
:

one would

know

of babe delivered thus.

?

How could they do the thing successfully A thousand times may that Simurgh be blest To whom God showed the way. Now let us revel
And
put to flight with wine the soul of care, For this world is a caravanserai, Old guests depart and new ones take their places." They put the wine about and grew bemused, They drank the chieftain's health, then that of Zal. Mihrab kept quaffing till he thought himself The one man of the world. " I do not care For Zal or Sam," he said, Shah, crown, or Grace. I, Rustam, and my steed Shabdiz, and sword No cloud will dare to overshadow us. I will revive the customs of Zahhak, And make the dust beneath my feet pure musk.
''
.
. .

V. 230

And now And

to find

him

arms."

He
Zal and

spake in

jest,

Sam were merry

at his words.

Sam, when the month was o'er, one day at dawn Returned to his own throne. He said to Zal " My son be just and loyal to the Shahs, Preferring wisdom over wealth, refraining Thy hands from evil all thy years, and seeking
: !

MINUCHIHR
God's way from day to day. Know that in public And private also 'tis the one thing needful Because the world will not abide with any.

327

Observe

my

rede and walk in righteous ways.

My
"

heart forebodeth that

my

time hath come."

:

He

bade his children both farewell and said

Forget not mine advice."

Then The The

bells

in the palace

rang out, and on the elephants clarions blared, as with his gentle tongue And kindly heart Sam journeyed toward the west.

His children bore him company three stages With minds instructed and with tearful cheeks, Then Sam went on while Zal marched to Si'stan

And

there in lion Rustam's

in

company

V. 231

Spent day and night

bout and revelry.

How Rustam
It

slew the

White Elephant

came to pass that as they spent a day In revel in a garden with their friends,
While harp-strings ran the gamut
of sweet sounds

And
They
"

all

the chiefs were one in merriment, quaffed red wine from crystal cups until
:

Their heads were dazed, and then Zal bade his son My child of sun-like Grace make ready robes
!

Of honour for thy warriors, and steeds For those of high degree." So Rustam gave Gold, many Arab steeds caparisoned And other gifts, and all went richer home. Zal, as his wont was, sought the bower, while Rustam Reeled to his chamber, laid him down and slept.

328

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

outside
his

Shouts rose
elephant

door

"
:

The chiefs white

"
!

Hath broken

loose,

and folk are

in its danger

V. 232

He heard, and urged by hardihood ran forth, Snatched up Sam's mace and made toward the street. The keepers of the gate opposed him, saying "We fear the chieftain, 'tis a darksome night, The elephant is loose Who can approve
:
!

Thy

going forth

"

Wroth at the speaker's words The matchless Rustam smote him on the nape His head rolled from him. Rustam turned toward The others but they fled the paladin, Who boldly went up to the gate and smashed The chains and bolts with blows that well befitted One of such noble name, went forth like wind With shouldered mace excitedly, approached The mighty beast and roared out like the sea.
:

He

looked and saw a Mountain bellowing,

The ground beneath it like Saw his own nobles fleeing

a boiling pot, in dismay, Like sheep that spy a wolf, roared like a lion

And went courageously against the beast, Which seeing him charged at him like a mountain And reared its trunk to strike, but Rustam dealt it
on the head the mountain-form Bistiin shook to its core and tumbled Stooped At one blow vile and strengthless. Thus it fell, That bellowing elephant, while matchless Rustam Went lightly to his place again and slept. Now when the sun ascended from the east, Bright as the cheeks of those who ravish hearts, Zal heard of Rustam's deeds, how he had knocked
;
;

A mace-blow

Mount

The dust out

Had

of the roaring elephant, with a single mace-blow broken its neck

MINUCHIHR
body to the ground. He cried mighty elephant, which used How often To bellow like the dark blue sea Hath that strong beast charged and o'erthrown a Yet conquer howsoe'er it might in battle " My son hath bested it

329
:

And

cast its

"

Woe

for that

host,

V. 233

He summoned Rustam,
head and hands and neck, thy claws have grown Youth as thou art thou art brave indeed Thou hast no peer in stature, Grace, and valour So ere thy spreading fame shall thwart thine action Take vengeance for the blood of Nariman. Speed forth to Mount Sipand where thou wilt see A cloud-capt stronghold four leagues square, whereover The eagle hath not soared. 'Tis full of herbage And water, gold and money, men and beasts. Both trees and husbandmen abound there none
Kissed
his

him upon
"
:

And And

said

lion's

whelp

Hath seen a place like that. The All-Provider Hath furnished workmen of all sorts, and fruit-trees.
There
is

but one approach

'tis

through a gate

As high as heaven, and Nariman, who bore The ball from all the chiefs, approached the stronghold By order of Shah Faridiin and held The road. The siege went on both night and day With stratagems and spells above a year, Until the foe hurled down a rock and earth Possessed the paladin no more. The host Retreated to the Shah. When Sam was told The valiant Lion hath had fight enough,' He wailed with growing grief, and having mourned A week in anguish called the host together. He marched against that hold with troops that covered The waste and desert, and for months and years
:
'

v. 234

Beleaguered

it

in vain.

None

issued forth

330

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

And none went

in, but though the gate was shut So long the foe lacked not a stalk of hay, And Sam forewent his vengeance in despair.

Now
Go

the time, my son for artifice. with a caravan in merry pin,

is
!

So that the watchmen

may

not find thee out,

And when thou

occupiest Mount Sipand those root and stem. evil-doers, Destroy Since thou art yet unknown thou mayst succeed."
I will do thy bidding soon provide a physic for the ache." Said Zal to him " My prudent son give ear. Don camel-drivers' clothes and from the plain
:

Then Rustam answered

:

"

And

Fetch camels to make up a caravan. Disguise thyself and carry naught but

salt,

For that is precious there. The folk know nothing Of greater value. Though the castle towereth Above its gate they have no salt to eat, So all will run to greet thee when they see Loads of it coming unexpectedly."

32
to

How Rustam

went

Mount Sipand

v. 235

Then Rustam made him ready for the fray, Concealed his mace within a load of salt And took some wise and valiant men withal.

He

hid the arms within the camels' loads

at the artifice sped

And merry
"

on

To Mount Sipand. When he arrived the watchman Saw him and hastened to the castellan.
" caravan," he said, with many drivers Hath come, and if my lord doth ask their business, To me it seemeth that they carry salt."

MINUCHIHR
The
chief sent one in haste to learn their loading,
:

331

Who went like dust to Rustam and inquired " O master of the caravan inform me
!

What merchandise is hidden in thy packs, That I may go and tell the castellan And take his orders."
Rustam answered him
"
4
:

Go

to the noble castellan

"
salt.'

and say

They carry

The messenger returned

And

said

"
:

They

carry salt alone,

my lord

"

The chief rose, glad and smiling, bade his men Unbar the gate and let the strangers in. So battle-loving Rustam with his folk Approached the gate whence people hurried out To welcome him. He kissed the ground before The chieftain, paid him many compliments, Gave him much salt and spake fair words all round. The chieftain said to Rustam " Live for ever. Be as the sun and as the shining moon.
:

v. 236

both accept and thank thee, worthy youth Young Rustam entered the bazar and took
!

"

His caravan.

One gave

And

The people flocked about him a robe, another gold and silver, chaffered with him unsuspectingly.
warriors,
for the fray,

At night brave Rustam and his

Armed

made

for the castellan,

Who strove against them, but the Matchless one Struck him a mace-blow on the head, and buried His head and crown in dust. The tidings spread, The people hastened to oppose the foe, Night gloomed, blades flashed, and earth was like the
ruby.

What

with the mellay and the waves of blood One would have said " A sunset sky hath fallen."
:

332

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

peerless

And sword
From

Rustam with his lasso, mace, destroyed the gallant foe and when The sun unveiled itself, and held the world
The
;

earth to Pleiades, of

all

the garrison

Not one remained alive that was not wounded. The brave Iranians entered every nook And slaughtered all they found. The matchless Rustam Saw in the citadel where room was scant

A
v. 237

And having

building of hard stone with iron doors, with his mace-blows shattered

them

He
He
"

entered and beheld a lofty vault Full of dinars. Astonied at the sight
bit his lip
;

then to his chiefs he said

Who

Good Or any
They

ever would have thought of such a thing sooth no gold remaineth in the mines,
pearl or jewel in the sea
;

lie

out-spread within this treasury."

33

How Rustam

wrote a Letter announcing his Victory to Zdl

Then Rustam wrote

:

his sire a full report

Of what had passed " First blessing be on Him, Who is the Lord of serpent, ant, and sun, Of Venus, Mars, and Sol, and heaven above.

May He
The The The

bless Zal, the hero of Zabul,

peerless paladin, the warriors' shelter, Iranians' stay, who setteth up on high
flag of

Kawa, who enthroneth Shahs,

Who taketh thrones, him whose commandment reacheth

To sun and moon.

By thy behest, and 'Twas like the sky.

I came to Mount Sipand what a mount was there When I had reached its foot
!

MINtiCHIHR
There came a greeting from the castellan, And though I did according to his bidding All things turned out as I would have them At night-time with my famous men of war
I

333

be.
V. 238

gave scant respite to the garrison, have been slain or maimed or have escaped By throwing all their fighting-gear away. There are in sooth five hundred thousand loads Of silver ingots and of standard gold.

Who

Of raiment,

tapestries,
tell

and movables
?

No

the total though he counted For days and months. What would the paladin

one could

May

his steps prosper,

may

his

mind be

bright."

The messenger came like a blast and gave The letter to the paladin. That chieftain Read and exclaimed " Praise to those noble ones." Thou wouldst have said: "The news will make him
:

young."

He wrote a full reply, first And then proceeding thus

That
tale

praising
"
:

God

have perused of triumph and poured out my soul

I

In joy.

Such

fights

become thee

well,

my

son

Who

The To carry

though a boy hast played the man, illumed soul of Nariman and burned his foes.
off the spoil I

have sent camels

this

By

thousands.

Having read

mount with speed

all

Thine absence grieveth me.

Pack

the best,

Then
The
As

fire

the hold in vengeance."

letter well content,

Rustam read then chose the choicest

V. 239

Among
And And

the signet-rings, swords, casques, and belts,

well as pearls and jewels fit for kings, figured pieces of brocade of Chin, sent

them

to his sire.
fire to

Set forth while he set

The caravan Mount Sipand,

334

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Whose

reek rose skyward, then he turned away Light-hearted and went home like rushing wind. When Zal had heard " The world-illuming chieftain
:

Hath come," the

folk prepared to

welcome him

the streets and quarters. Arose the din of brazen clarions,

And

decorated

all

Of cymbals, trumpets, and of Indian bells As eager Rustam fared toward Zal's palace And coming bowed to earth before his mother,

Who blessed his face and kissed his

While Zal the chief embraced

chest and shoulders,

his son

and bade

A scattering of largess

to be

made.

34
The Letter of Zal
to

Sam

The famous chief sent the good news to Sam, With many gifts to him and every one. Whenas the letter came to Sam his cheeks Bloomed like a rose in his exceeding joy.
V. 240

He made a feast like jocund spring, bestowed Upon the messenger a robe and steed, And talked of Rustam much. He wrote to Zal
It is not wonderful that lions' whelps Prove brave. A clever archimage may take One ere it suck and bring it up with men, Yet will he fear it when its teeth have grown, For though it never saw its mother's dugs 'Twill throw back to the instincts of its sire. No wonder then that Rustam should inherit Zal's prowess, and that Lions seek his aid In times of enterprise."
"

He
And gave
it

sealed the letter

to the messenger,

who went

MINUCHIHR
To Zal therewith clad in his robe of honour. The paladin rejoiced at what that youth Of tender years had done, and all the world From earth to Aries had hopes in him. Now will I speak once more of Minuchihr, The kindly Shah, who when his end drew near Gave to his son these counsels lend thine ear.
:

335

35
Minuchihr's
last Counsels to his

Son

Now Minuchihr, twice sixty years being sped, Prepared to pass, because the astrologers Informed him that the royal Grace would fade " Thy time for passing to the other world Hath come, God grant thee a good place with Him. Consider what behoveth to be done And let not death surprise thee, so make ready For yielding up thy body to the clay." When he had heard the wise men's words he changed
:

V. 241

The fashion

And

of his court, told the archmages chiefs the secrets of his heart, then gave
counsel, saying thus
"
:

Naudar much

This throne

Is but a jest, a breath, To set the heart upon.

no lasting thing
In six score years
loins for stress

Now

passed

I girt

my

And used

to find

much

and travail and content pleasure

In labour at the bidding of the Shah. I girt me with the Grace of Faridun,

And by
I took

his counsels every loss proved gain.

Tiir
1

on Salm and on the brutal

for

Due vengeance

my grandsire
1

great Iraj

Reading with C.

336

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

world of
its iniquities
;

I cleansed the

a city, many a fortress Yet thou mightst say that I had never seen The world, such am I and my tale of years
built
!

And

me many

whose leaves and fruit are bitter, Should it not rather die than still live on ? Now after I have borne such pain and travail I leave the throne of kingship and the treasure To thee. As Faridun once gave to me, So give I thee, the crown worn by the Shahs.
Is blank. tree
V. 242

Hard are the enterprises that confront thee, Thou must be sometimes wolf and sometimes The offspring of Pashang will be thy bane,

sheep.

And from

Tiiran will be thy straitening.

!

When

any question shall arise, my son Seek aid from Zal and Sam and this new Tree Now burgeoning, sprung from the root of Zal. He will tread down Tiiran and take upon him

To avenge

thee."

While he spake he wept. bitterly, and thus the Shah, Free from disease, unvexed by any pains,
Bewailed him

Naudar

Closed with a last cold sigh his eyes and faded. So passed that famous Shah, well graced in all, Whose tale is left as his memorial.

VIII

NAUDAR
HE REIGNED FOR SEVEN YEARS
ARGUMENT
Naudar rules oppressively and the people revolt, but Sam succeeds in restoring order. Pashang, the king of Turan, however, takes the opportunity of the death of Minuchihr to send an

army to invade Iran under the command of his son Afrasiyab. The Iranians are defeated, and Naudar, with many of his chiefs, is taken prisoner. Afrasiyab kills Naudar and assumes the crown
Ighriras, the brother of Afrasiyab, traitorously releases the Iranian prisoners, the Iranians under Karan and Zal obtain independent successes over the Turanians, and Afrasiyab puts
of Iran.
his brother Ighriras to death.

NOTE
V edas temporarily trace the names of

In this reign the connection between the Shahnama and the seems to be severed, and we are unable to the principal heroes further back than the Zandavasta, where most of them are to be found. The story of the reign is one of disaster for Iran and the ancient feud, originating in the murder of Iraj, receives a new impetus through the execution of Ighriras by his brother Afrasiyab. We are accordingly here introduced to the royal line of Tiiran, of which we have heard nothing since the slaying of Tiir by Minuchihr, and to its collateral branch, the heroic family of Wi'sa, which plays such an important part in this and future reigns, and corresponds on the Turanian side to the family of Sam on the
T
;

Iranian. 1
1

The most important personality

is

that of Afrasiyab

We learn from

the Bundahish that Wisa and Pashang, Afrdsiydb's

father,

were brothers.

WPT,

i.

135.
337

338

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

the protagonist of the Turanian race, and the arch-enemy of Iran, of successive Shahs. He is the second in the trinity of evil spirits which, according to Zoroastrian belief, was created by Ahriman to vex the Iranian race, the first being Zahhak, and the third apparently Alexander the Great. 1 In the part of the extant Zandavasta known as the Zamyad Yast, which has been termed "an abridged Shahnama," 2 Afrasiyab, or Frangrasyan, as he is there called, is described as making several attempts to seize the kingly Glory or Grace which was the peculiar possession of the Shahs, and which Zahhak himself sought in vain. Afrasiyab, however, is recorded to have been once successful, not, as one might suppose, on the occasion in the present reign, but in that of Kai Kaus, when the latter was taken prisoner by the king of Hamavaran. 3 In the Bundahish we find indications that Afrasiyab was originally, like Zahhak, a water-stealing fiend but he cannot be traced further back than the Zandavasta, and his depredations are confined to stealing 4 It is recognised in the Zandavasta away the rivers of Iran. men in all countries, in those of the elder that there are good sons of Faridun Turan and Rum as well as in that of his 5 We have an instance of this in the youngest-born Iran. the brother of Afrasiyab who being originally case of Ighriras a good spirit or demi-god is naturally supposed to favour the Iranians at the cost of his own countrymen, and is held up as a sort of martyr in the poem. In the Zandavasta the murder of Ighriras is looked upon as one of the motives for vengeance on Afrasiyab, 6 while in the Bundahish we read " When Frasiyav made Manus/Hhar, with the Iranians, captive in the mountain-

through the reigns

range of Padashkhvar, and scattered ruin and want among them, Aghrerad begged a favour of God, and he obtained the benefit that the army and champions of the Iranians were saved by him from that distress. Frasiyav slew Aghrerarf for that fault." 7 The story in the Shahnama is told not of Miniichihr but of Naudar. The mountain-range is that to the south of the Caspian.
1

DZA,

i.

xlviii.

Id.

ii.

286.

The reign of Kai where see Part II.

4
6

Ka"us will appear in Vol. II. of this translation,

5

WPT,
DZA,

i.

82, 84.

DZA,

ii.
i.

226.
135.

ii.

114.

WPT,

NAUDAR

339

How Naudar
The mourning
over,

succeeded to the Throne

v. 243

Shah Naudar exalted

His royal crown o'er Saturn and gave audience Upon the throne of Mimichihr, bestowing Drachms and dinars upon the troops. The nobles Did reverence with their faces in the dust,

And

said

"
:

We

are the bondslaves of the Shah,

Our eyes and hearts are full of love for thee." But matters changed, the monarch proved unjust, Laments went up on all sides, and men's heads

Were whitened by

the Shah.

He

blotted out

The customs of his sire and grew severe To chief and archimage, spurned gracious ways And was enslaved to pelf. The peasants rose, Bold spirits claimed the realm, and tumults followed. The unjust Shah in terror wrote to Sam, Then at Sagsar within Mazandaran, And first invoked the Maker of the world, The Lord of Venus, Mars, and Sol, who made Both ant and elephant " Naught is beyond
:

V. 244

His power, or too minute for His regard. Now may the Master of the sun and moon Have mercy on the soul of Mimichihr,

The Shah, through whom the

bright,

glorious crown grew

My

predecessor on so great a throne

as

And may

many blessings light on Sam, The hero, as the clouds shed drops of rain May that redoubted glorious chief be sound In heart and mind, and sorrowless in soul. The paladin of earth should know, I ween,
;

340

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Miniichihr,

All matters close or open.

Before he closed his eyes, spake much of Sam, And I too have a warm supporter in him,

Who paladin and favourite watched over My father's realm, illuming throne and crown.
Now
things have reached takest
this pass that

save thou

Thy vengeful mace the throne will be abolished." Whenas the letter came Sam sighed. At cockcrow
The sound
of tymbals rose within the court,

And from
y. 245

the Kargastirs he marched a host Such that the green sea had been lost therein,

The magnates in fran went out to meet The approaching troops, dismounted when near Sam, And spake with him at large of all the actions Done by Naudar, and how he was unjust

And
"

left

his father's footsteps recklessly.

hath made earth a desert," they protested, " His fortune that was wakeful is asleep. He walketh not in wisdom's way, the Grace Of God hath left him. How would it be if Sam With his shrewd mind were seated on the throne ? His fortune would regenerate the world, The country and its throne would both be his. We all would serve him and would pledge our lives For fealty to him."

He

But Sam replied Would God approve ? Naudar hath And sitteth belted on the royal seat.
"

royal blood

hands upon the realm and crown ? One should not hear such words. Impossible dare say this publicly ? chief Would any If but a daughter of Shah Miniichihr Sat crowned upon the golden throne the dust Would be my couch whence I should joy to gaze
Could
I lay
!

NAUDAR
Upon
her.
If

341

Naudar

hath, left the

way
v. 246

Trod by his

sire it

hath not been

for long,

The iron is not so rust-eaten yet As to be hard to furbish. I will bring The Grace back and make all desire his love. The dust of Mimichihr shall be my throne, The print of his son's horseshoe be rny crown.

We

will

speak

much

with him, and by our counsel

Bring him good

fortune.

Ye

repent yourselves

Of what hath passed and tender fresh allegiance. Unless Almighty God and Shah Naudar
your portion your dwelling-place hereafter." The chiefs repented and made fealty Afresh that prosperous-footed paladin
Shall pardon you, the Shah's wrath
earth,
is

On

and

fire

Made

earth grow young throughout.

When Sam

had

reached

The presence of the Shah he kissed the ground. The Shah descended from the throne, embraced His captain, seating him upon the throne With greetings and unbounded compliments.
feasted for a week with harp and wine, All offered their excuses to Naudar, And bare themselves as subjects. From each province Came tax and tribute out of fear of Sam,

They

V. 247

The

swift of wrath.

Naudar

sat

on the throne

Till in the

In splendour and in undisturbed repose, presence the chief paladin

to depart, of counsel to the

Arose and asked permission

Threw wide the door

Shah

And
Of

told again the goodly histories glorious Faridiin and Shah Hiishang

And Mimichihr, the lustre of the throne, And how they ruled earth justly and gave alms And would not countenance iniquity.

342

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Sam brought the monarch's wayward heart to reason, Warmed the chiefs' hearts toward him, rendering
All justice and injustice at his hands

Acceptable, and having said his say Both to the nobles and their sovereign Went with a robe of honour from Naudar,

With crown and throne and signet-ring and slaves, With steeds whose furniture was wrought of gold

And two
v. 248

gold goblets

all a-briin

with rubies.

So matters stayed awhile, but heaven above Revolved not o'er Naudar in peace and love.

How Pashang

heard of the Death of Minuchihr

Shah Mimichihr's decease, and how ill with Naudar, came to Tiiran, fared Things Whose folk held commune with the malcontents.
of

News

Pashang, the Turkman And contemplated war.

ruler, also

He

heard spake at large

About his sire Ztidshain, talked big of Tur, The throne of Minuchihr, his troops, his warriors, His princes and his realm, then summoned all The captains and grandees, as Ighriras,
Barman, and Garsiwaz, that raging Lion Kulbad, and generals like skilful Wi'sa,

The

leader of the host.

He

also called

His son Afrasiyab, who came in haste, To whom he said concerning Salm and Tur " We may not hide revenge beneath our skirt, For all whose brains are level in their heads Knowhow the Iranians have entreated us,
:

And

Now

always girded up their loins for ill. is the time for action and revenge,

NAUDAR
The time

343

What

wash the blood-tears from our cheeks. say ye now ? What answer do ye make ?
to

Advise

me

well."

With

His words inspired Afrasiyab he zeal, bragged before his sire with loins Girt up and vengeance in his heart " To fight
:

v. 249

With Lions

is

my

work, I match myself

Against Naudar, and if Zadsham had warred He had not left the world in such ill plight, But had become the master of t ran. Now whatsoe'er my grandsire left undone Of vengeance-seeking, fight, and stratagem, Is left for my sharp sword to execute.

The time The

of turmoil

is

the time for me."

for battle as

Pashang grew keen

he marked

and arms So lion-like, his shadow stretching miles, His tongue a trenchant scimitar, his heart An ocean and his hand a raining cloud. Pashang commanded him to draw the sword Of war, and lead an army to Iran. A chief whose son is worthy of his name May raise his own head to the orb of day, For afterwards, when he hath passed away,
keep alive the father's fame. Afrasiyab, high- wrought and full of vengeance, Went forth and opening the treasury Abundantly equipped his warriors But when all things were ready, Ighriras
will
;

lofty stature of Afrasiyab, His elephantine might, his breast

The son

The

counsellor, heart-musing, sought his sire, For thinking is the business of the heart, And spake on this wise " Mine experienced father,
:

The highest

of the

Although Iran

Turkman race in valour hath now no Mimichihr,

v. 250

344

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

;

Sam, son of Nariinan, is general There are besides Kishwad, the brave Karan,

And other men of name among the folk. Thou know'st what Salui and valiant Tvir endured
Through that old wolf and sworder Minuchihr, And yet Zcidsham, my grandsire and our king,

Whose helmet touched

the circle of the moon,

Ne'er spake a word of such a war, or reac^ The book of vengeance in the time of peace.
'Tis better for

us to restrain ourselves,

Because this madness will confound the realm." " That brave crocodile, Afrasiyab, Pashang said Is as a lion on a hunting-day, An elephant of war in battle-tide. Call him a bastard that would not avenge His grandsire's wrongs. Depart forthwith and counsel Afrasiyab in matters great and small. So when the crumple-skirted clouds are gone, When rains have drenched the wastes, when hill and
:

plain

Give pasture for the steeds, when herbage riseth Above our warriors' necks and all the world Is green with corn, then camp upon the plain Midst rose and verdure bear a gladsome heart, And lead the whole host onward to Amul Tread Dahistan beneath the horses' hoofs, Speed and incarnadine the streams with blood.
;
;

Thence Minuchihr departed to the war To take revenge on Tur, thence did his powers Advance against us like a murky cloud,

And by

that token

it is

your turn now

251

To send the dust up from their nobles' heads. The refuge of the army of Iran Was Minuchihr, and he adorned the throne, Why fear the Iranians now that he is gone ?

NAUDAR
They
Naudar, who Will be your
are not worth a pinch of dust. is but young and raw.
foe,

345 I fear not

Karan
field

and one more warrior Garshasp. May ye so treat them on the As to rejoice our fathers' souls, and burn

Our foemen's
Along

hearts."

The
in streams ere

my

" Blood shall run prince said is done." revenge

:

How

Afrdsiydb came to the

Land

of Irdn
silk

When

herbage made the plain like painted

of

The warriors

Turan

girt

up

their loins

An army marched

forth from Tiiran

and Chin

With mace-men from

the Western lands a host Without a middle or an end withal The fortune of Naudar was young no longer. As these approached Jihiin he heard the news And drew forth to the plain toward Dahistan. Karan, who loved the fray, was general, Behind him came Naudar, the king of kings, And all the world was filled with bruit of warfare. The host approaching Dahistan concealed The sun in dust. They pitched the camp-enclosure Of Shah Naudar before the hold. Brief respite
;

V. 252

Was Was

theirs, because Afrasiyab, who then in Irman, sent thirty thousand warriors, With Shamasas and Khazarwan as leaders,

Toward Zabul to take revenge on Zal, For " Sam," they heard, " is dead, and Zal About the obsequies."
Afrasiyab

is

busied

Was

pleased, perceived that fortune was awake, Marched forth to Dahistan, and pitched against

it.

346

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

Who

knoweth how to reckon up his host ? Go count a thousand o'er four hundred times. Thou wouldst have said " The sands and uplands
:

seethe,

The wilderness is naught but ants and locusts." With Shah Naudar were seven score thousand men,

And
'

certes they

were warlike

cavaliers.

Afrasiyab surveyed them and despatched

night a cameleer to bear Pashang " The expected good hath come, Naudar's whole host is as a quarry to us,

By

A letter

And Sam
But him.
Zal
is

is

dead. I feared none in 1 ran His death alloweth our revenge.

engaged upon the obsequies

And hath not foot or feather for the fight. By this time Shamasas is in Nimriiz
Enthroned and crowned.
Is best for us
\'.
;

Prompt

action well advised

occasions will not wait."

253

The camel spread its wings and went apace Toward Pashang, that king of sunlight grace.

How Bdrmdn

and Kubdd fought

together

and how

Kubdd

icas slain

The van appeared in front of Dahistan As morn rose o'er the hills. The armies camped Two leagues apart in warlike pomp. A Turkman, By name Barman one who bade sleepers wake
Approached, spied out the whole Iranian host And viewed the camp-enclosure of Naudar, Returned, reported to his chief, and said: " How long must all our prowess be concealed ?

NAUDAR
Now
if

347

the king permit I will engage

Our foemen like a lion. They shall see My skill and know no hero but myself." " But if in this," said prudent Ighrfras, " Some misadventure should befall Barman, Our marchlords would be cowed, our folk
couraged.

dis-

Nay, choose we rather one of small account, For whom we need not bite our nails and lips."

Then lowered Afrasiyab, ashamed to hear Such words, and frowning spake thus to Barman " Put on thine armour and string up thy bow It will not come to using teeth and nails." Barman pricked forth and shouted to Karan " In all the army of the famed Naudar " Hast thou a man who will contend with me ? Karan looked round upon his mighty men For one to volunteer, but none responded Save valiant old Kubad. The prudent chief Was grieved and troubled when his brother spake, And wept for wrath, and there was room for it
: ;
:

V. 254

With that great host, that, with so many young To fight, one old man only volunteered. Vexed to the heart about Kubad, Karan Addressed him thus in presence of the chiefs " At thine age thou shouldst not contend with one
:

Who

Fresh, ardent, young, and daring, like Barman, hath a lion's heart, and head sun-high.
art an honoured chieftain, and the centre Of counsel to our Shah. If thy white locks

Thou

Grow red with blood our bravest will despair." Mark his reply in presence of the troops " The rolling sky hath given me enough. Know, brother that the body is for death
: !

My

head and neck were meant

to

wear a helm.

348

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

heart hath been in anguish from the time
until this day.

My

Of blessed Minuchihr

No mortal passeth into Man is death's quarry

;

heaven alive, one the scimitar mid the Destroyeth mellay, and the vulture

And
Is

lion tear his corpse

another's

life

ended on his bed. Beyond all question We must depart, and if I quit the world My tall and lusty brother is still safe.

Make me a royal charnel in your love, Give musk, rose-water, camphor for my head,

My
v. 255

body

to the place of endless sleep.

This do, live peacefully, and trust in God." This said, he grasped his spear and sallied forth Like some fierce elephant.
"

Barman exclaimed put thy head within my reach. Well hadst thou held aloof, for time itself

Now

hath

fate

Would have thy

"

life."

The sky," Kubad replied, Gave me my share long since, and he whose hour Hath come will have to die where'er he be That time is not ill-timed at any time."
:

"

spake arid urged his sable steed, denying His ardent heart all rest. The two contended From dawn till shadows lengthened. In the end The victory was Barman's, who as he rode

He

Hurled

at

Kubad a

And

pierced his belt.

dart which struck his hip That ancient lion-heart

Fell headlong flushed

and so passed.

Then with cheeks

With

pride and satisfaction came Barman Before Afrasiyab, who gave him gifts

Unprecedented as from king to

liege.

Karan the battle-lover, when Kubad Was slain, drew out his army and attacked.

NAUDAR
The two hosts seemed as Thou wouldst have said
:

349

'twere two seas of Chin,

"

Earth shake th."

Then Karan
The warrior rushed
forth

and Garsiwaz,

Huge

as

an elephant, confronted him.

The chargers neighed, the sun and shining moon Were hidden by the dust-clouds of the host, Swords diamond-bright and spear-heads steeped in gore Shone mid the dust dust like a rainy cloud
Wherethrough vermilion droppeth from the sun, A cloud whose marrow thrilled with tyrnbal-din, While liquid crimson drenched the falchions' souls. Where'er Karan urged on his steed the steel Flashed like Azargashasp, and thou hadst said
:

v. 256

"

His Diamond sheddeth Coral." Nay, shed Afrasiyab beheld and led his troops Against Karan, and with insatiate hearts

souls.

They fought till night rose o'er the hills, and then Karan withdrew the host to Dahistan.

With heart distracted by his brother's death He came to the pavilion of Naudar, Who on beholding him let tears down fall From weary eyelids that had seen no sleep,

And
And

said

"
:

Since

Sam

the horseman died

my

soul

Hath not

grieved thus.

Live thou for evermore,

sunlike be the spirit of Kubad. day of joy and then a day of grief,
is

Such

the wont and fashion of the world

;

No

fostering will rescue us from death Earth's only cradle is the sepulchre."
"

have resigned to death," Karan replied, My doughty body even from my birth. 'Twas Faridun that put my helmet on That I might tread the earth to avenge fraj, And hitherto I have not loosed my girdle,
I
"

v. 257

350

THE SHAHNAMA OP FIRDA USI

Nor

laid aside the sword of steel. My brother That sage is dead. I too shall die in harness But be of cheer, Afrasiyab to-day Was straitened, and he called up his reserves. He saw me with mine ox-head mace and eagerly
;

Attacked me eye to eye I fronted him. He used some magic and my keen eyes lost Their vision, night came on and all was dark, Mine arm was tired of striking. Thou hadst said The End hath come.' The sky was overcast, And we were forced to quit the battlefield Because the troops were spent and it was dark."
;
'

The opposing hosts reposed a while, and when The morrow dawned began the strife again.

How

Afrdsiydb fought with

Naudar

the second

Time

The Iranians drew up

for battle royal,

And what
Thou

with thundering drum and blaring trumpet wouldst have said " The earth is tottering."
:

Afrasiyab,

V. 258

when he beheld, arrayed His army opposite. " The sun hath set," Thou wouldst have said, earth was so dark with dust Of horsemen. Mid the war-cries none could tell A mountain from a plain, host grappled host And blood ran like a river where Karan Sought for the fray, and where Afrasiyab Towered till Naudar approached and challenged him.
They

No

strove together, spear confused with spear serpents ever writhed together so How could kings battle thus ?
;

They fought

till

night

And

then Afrasiyab was conqueror,

For more were stricken on the Iranian side And still the foemen's battle was unbroken. The Iranians turned their faces helplessly,

Abandoning their camp upon the waste. Naudar was grieved that fortune should besmirch His crown with dust, and when the tymbals ceased He sent for Tus, who came with Gustaham,
All sighs and grief.
"

What

pain

is

in

my heart

"
!

his dying sire Tiiran and Chin from Foretold An army Will come against f ran, grieve thee and bring Disaster on thy troops." " The words are now " the arrogant have triumphed Fulfilled," he said, But who e'er read in tales of famous men Of any that led forth such Turkman hosts ? Go ye to Pars to fetch the women-folk
cried, recalling "
:

He

what

And

bear

them through the

passes to Alburz.

Take unperceived the road

to Ispahan,

Else ye will break our soldiers' hearts, inflicting A second wound. Some haply of the seed

59

Of Faridiin may scape of

I

all

our troops.

know not

if I

shall behold

you more
;

Because to-night we make our last attempt. Have scouts out night and day to watch events
If

they

give evil tidings of the

'

host

And
Is

of the king of kings too much at heart; high heaven, not dimmed,' grieve Since it had being, hath been ever thus. Time bringeth this to dust while that enjoyeth

say

The Glory

A royal crown.

Or natural, is Naudar with

Death, whether violent one a throb then peace."

tears of blood

embraced

his sons.

The royal pair proceeded to depart, But he remained and with a heavy heart.

352

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

How Naudar

fought with Afrdsiydb the third Time

The host reposed two days, but when the sun Rose on the third the Shah was forced to fight.

V. 260

Then like a foaming sea Afrasiyab Dashed at the army of Naudar, the war-cry Rose from the camp-enclosures mid the din Of trump and Indian bell, the tymbals sounded Before the Shah's tent, and the warriors donned Their iron helmets. None had thought of sleep Within the camp of great Afrasiyab All night they had made ready, sharpening The swords and double-headed darts. The earth Was filled by armoured men with heavy maces. Karan was marshal of the central host Whereto the Shah and he were towers of strength. The Shah's left wing the hero Taliman Claimed for himself, and bold Shapiir the right. From morning till the sun had left the dome, Hills, plains, and wastes were indistinguishable Thou wouldst have said " The sword's heart is en; ; ; :

larged earth is groaning underneath the steeds." But while the javelins put the earth in shade

And

Defeat drew ever nearer to Naudar,

And as his fortunes sank the Turkmans' rose. Upon the side where bold Shapiir was stationed
The ranks were broken and the troops dispersed, But he maintained his post till he was slain. The Iranians' fortune turned away its head,

And many another chieftain of the host Was killed or wounded on the battlefield.

NAUDAR
Now when
the monarch and Karan perceived The stars averse, they fled before the foe To Dahistan, and there maintained themselves,

353

Cut

off

from
since

all

outside

it.

They fought

in the approaches.

Night and day Passed a while.

in the hold,

Now

Naudar had refuged

Where horsemen could not act, Afrasiyab Made ready and despatched a force by night, Bethought him of the chieftain Kunikhan, Of Wisa's race, and bade him lead them forth
Along the desert-route to Pars, for there Iranians' homes were situate, and men In trouble make for home. Karan heard this And, moved with jealousy and grieved at heart,

V. 261

The

Went in as 'twere a leopard to Naudar And said " Behold how base Afrasiyab
:

Is dealing

with the monarch of t ran

hath despatched a countless host of troops Against our warriors' women. Should he get them Disaster will befall our men of name And we shall hide our faces in disgrace So Kunikhan must be attacked forthwith,
;

He

And by
I will

the leave of the victorious

Shah

pursue with speed.

Thou

hast a river,

Provisions,
;

and right zealous

warriors.

Stay thou be not concerned. Thou canst defend Thyself with ease, so play the lion's part, For monarchs should be brave."

Naudar
"

replied

the host hath none like thee to lead them. 'Twas for our homes that Tus and Gustaham
so,

Not

Went forth at beat of drum, and they will reach The women in good time, such is their speed, And take the needful steps." The mighty men
z

354

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

V. 262

Went to the sleeping-chamber of the Shah Where presently they sat and called for wine
To purge
their hearts of sorrow for a while.

When Shah Naudar

Behind his

was well bemused he went

And

curtains, meditating vengeance, those brave chiefs the 1 ranian cavaliers

Departed in disorder from the court

To assemble at the quarters of Karan, With eyes like winter-clouds with much debate, " We must set out for Pars They all agreed Forthwith or else our wives and little ones
;
:

Will

all

be broken-hearted slaves,

all

captured

Without a struggle, and who then will wield The spear upon the plain or rest in peace ? "

Now when
Had And
To

these three Shidush, Kishwad, Karan taken counsel for the whole emprise,

made them ready At dawn with heavy hearts " They reached what men in those days called White
half the night had passed, they
sally forth.

Castle."

There found they Guzhdaham the castellan Together with his watchful warriors Beleaguered by Barman, who held the road With troops and elephants and valiant chiefs, And erst had wrung the heart of brave Karan

v. 263

Who, eager to avenge his brother's blood, Assumed his mail, prepared his men for action, And made for Pars. The brave Barman was ware And like a lion met him on the way. Now when Karan saw mid the dust of fight
That

man

of blood he grappled with his foe,

All lion-like, not giving time for ruse, But closed at once, invoking God for succour, And pierced the Turkman's girdle with a javelin
1

See introductory note to the previous reign.

NAUDAR
Through mail and buckle.

355

From

his charger's back

Barman

headlong, the bright orb of day Turned dark to him, his army's heart was broken, His soldiers fled. Karan the chieftain then
fell

Went on toward

Pars with

all

his valiant

men.

How Naudar

was taken by Afrdsiydb

Naudar, on hearing that Karan had gone, Sped after him, all instant to escape The evil day, lest heaven should trample him.
Afrasiyab gat tidings that Naudar Had sought the waste, collected troops, and followed

As 'twere a lion. Drawing near he found The foemen ready for a running fight, And as he marched mused how to take the head
That wore the crown.
noonday,

They fought

all

night

till

And

earth was dark with warriors' dust. At length The Shah was taken with twelve hundred nobles " Thou wouldst have said Their place on earth
;
:

is

void."

might to flee they were ensnared Within the net of bale. Afrasiyab Put into bonds the captured host and Shah. Though thou shouldst sit in conclave with the sky Yet will its revolutions grind thee down. It giveth majesty and throne and crown, It giveth too despair and misery. It playeth friend and foe, and proffereth thee, At times a kernel and at times a shell It is a conjurer that knoweth well The sleights of every form of jugglery.
Strive as they
;

V. 264

356

Although thy head may touch the clouds, it must Have in the end its place amid the dust. " Search," he said, Afrasiyab gave orders " The caves, the hills, the waters, and the waste That fierce Karan may not elude our troops." But hearing that Karan had gone to save The women he was furious. " Let Barman," He bade, " speed forth and lion-like pursue Karan, and bring him me a prisoner." They told the monarch how Karan had served Barman, and brought him from his steed to dust Whereat Afrasiyab was sorely grieved, Food, rest, and sleep were bitterness to him, And thus he spake to Wisa " Let the death Of this thy son steel thine own heart, for when
:
; :

V. 265

of Kawa warreth leopards shrink Before his spear. Go with a valiant host Well furnished, and take vengeance for the

The son

lost."

How

Wisa found

his

Son

that

had

been slain

So Wisa, chief of the Turanian

troops,

Departed with a noble, vengeful army, And saw before he overtook Karan His loved son lying slain, his banner rent, His kettledrums o'erturned, his shroud of blood Like tulips, and his face like sandarach While warriors and chieftains of Turan Were flung in numbers with him on the route. The sight grieved Wisa so that thou hadst said " His heart is rent by anguish," while his eyes
;

Wept

scalding tears.
1

He

sped to catch Karan.

P.

Reading with

NAUDAR
Thus
"

357

like a torrent

Wisa rushed along

And shed calamity throughout the world. He marcheth on in triumph gloriously,"

Such was the news that reached Karan, who sent His Arab horsemen forward to Nimruz And followed them himself the Sun of earth. Now when from Pars he reached the waste, a dust-cloud Appeared upon his left, and from the dust The sable flag emerged, while from the van The Turkman chief led on his host. Both armies
Arrayed their ranks
;

the warriors sought the fray.

:

Then from the centre Wisa shouted, saying " Gone to the winds are crown and throne of greatness.
All from

V. 266

Ghazm'n

Kannuj up to Kabulistan, and Zabulistan, are ours Our throne is graven on their palaces, Where wilt thou refuge since the Shah is taken The other said " Karan am I, and cast 1 My blanket on the waters. Neither fear Nor any idle rumour sent me forth. I marched to fight thy son, and having taken Revenge on him will take it now on thee, And show thee how brave warriors fight."
too,
:
:

"
?

They urged
Their chargers on, the clarions blared, dust rose To left and right and moon and sky waxed dim.

Men

grappled eagerly and shoAvered blood. Karan and Wisa met once in the mellay, But Wisa turned away and fled the field Where many a chief had fallen, yet Karan Pursued not. Wisa, broken by misfortune,

V. 267

Appeared before Afrasiyab in pain And weeping for his son that had been
1

slain.

/.., I court

danger.

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

How

Shamdsds and Khazarwdn invaded ZdbuHstdn

forth

The expedition from Irman went

Against Zabul, and Shamasas advanced Toward Sistan in haste, while Khazarwan,

good swordsmenthirty thousand famous men Marched warily as far as the Hirmund With glaive and mace, and fortune at its height. Now Zal was at the burial-place erecting In pain and grief a charnel for his father, While brave Mihrab, whose mind was on the alert, Was in the city, and despatched an envoy To Shamasas. When this man reached the camp

With

gave his master's greetings, saying thus For ever may the monarch of Turan Continue bright of heart and wear the crown. Zahhak the Arab was mine ancestor, And little do I love mine overlord, But by alliance have I purchased life Because I saw no other course. At present
:

He

"

I dwell within the palace, ruling all

Zabulistan.

To bury Sam

When Zal went whelmed my heart rejoiced, and I

with grief

Will never see his face again. I ask The famous paladin for time to send
Afrasiyab a prudent cameleer
'Twill shorten matters if
V. 268
;

he know
'

my

mind.

I will despatch

him
if

The

tribute,

and

fitting gifts besides he saith Come,' will stand

Before his throne, resign to him my realm, And joy in him. I will not vex the paladin,

But send him every kind of hoarded wealth."

NAUDAR
Thus one hand held back Shamasas and one

359

Was
And

stretched for help.

said
"
:

He

sent a messenger
:

'

and thy pinions, Announce to Zal what thou hast seen, and say Pause not to rub thy head but come at once, For of the Turkman host two paladins, Like leopard's claws, advanced to fight with me But when they were approaching the Hirmund
Fly
!

Ply thy feathers

put their feet in fetters of dinars. if thou waitest to draw breath but once " Our foes will have their will.'
I

Now

The envoy came

To

Zal,

whose heart forthwith was

all a-flame.

IO

How

Zal came

to help

Mihrdb

Zal hearing this had the gold trappings placed

and faring night and day Whenas he saw Mihrab Unmoved and full of knowledge and good counsel, He thought " What cause have we to fear this host, For Khazarwan is but a pinch of dust " To me ? Then to Mihrab " O man of prudence,

Upon

his steed,

Rejoined his troops.

:

go by night lay a hand upon the foe for blood. They shall be ware that I am back again, Back with full heart and ready to avenge."

Approved

in all

now

will I

v. 269

And

He marked the stations of the hostile chiefs, Then drew his bow amain and shot three arrows Of poplar, bough-like, arching through the sky
In three directions, and a clamour followed.

360

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

soldiers gathered round the arrows, saying " They are Zal's other shooteth with such shafts as these."
it
:

When
None

was day the

And marked

O Khazarwan, thou Lion Hadst thou not been remiss in fight, not dallied So with Mihrab, his army and his treasure, Zal had not troubled thee." Then Khazarwan
Cried Shamasas
:
!

"

"

He

is

but one, not Ahriman or

for I will grapple

iron.

Fear not,

him

anon."

Whenas the
heard

bright sun crossed

the vault were

the plain, and in the city sounds Of tymbals, clarions, gongs, and Indian bells. Zal donned his mail apace, bestrode his charger As swift as dust, while all his warriors mounted With vengeful thoughts and frowns upon their brows.

Drums on

He

led the

army

forth

upon the

plain,

Equipped with elephants and camp-enclosures, Where host encountered host and made the waste

v. 270

As 'twere a darksome mountain with the dust. Then Khazarwan with mace and buckler rushed To counter Zal, and smote his glittering breast A blow that brake his famed cuirass. When Zal Withdrew the warriors of Kabulistan Retreated, but brave Zal armed him afresh. His head was wroth, his blood was up, he brandished His father's mace, while Khazarwan advanced To challenge fight, a roaring Lion he, Before the host. Zal had no sooner raised The reek of fight than Khazarwan was on him As quick as dust, while Zal in fury charged His foe, and brandishing the ox-like mace Smote Khazarwan upon the head and made The ground as 'twere a leopard's back with blood
;

NAUDAR
Then

361

And

flung him down, trod on him, passed along led the army forward to the plain,

come and fight, But Shamasas came not his blood was chilled. Zal next descried Kulbad amid the dust And shouldered his steel mace. Thereon Kulbad, Observing Zal with mace and scimitar, Endeavoured to escape his foe man's sight, But Zal the cavalier strung up his bow And lightly aimed at him a poplar arrow, Struck full upon the girdle of Kulbad A girdle that was wrought of links of steel
Inviting Shamasas to
;

And pinned him to the pummel through the loins. His troops' hearts burned for him while Shamasas Despaired, his face paled when those chiefs were slain, And he and all his army in full flight
Dispersed like sheep upon a stormy day, Pressed by the soldiers of Zabulistan

And by Mihrab. The field was such with corpses That thou hadst said " The troops are cramped
:

for

room."

The Turkmans

fled

toward Afrasiyab,
v. 271

Their mail unfastened and their girdles snapped. When Shamasas had reached the open plain Karan, the son of Kawa, came in sight

Whose

Returning from pursuing Wisa's host, noblest he had slain so easily. The armies met together, Shamasas Met with Karan, the lover of the fray, Who knowing his antagonists, and why They were retreating from Zabulistan, Bade trumpets sound and occupied the road. Thus host encountered host. The paladin
Said to his troops " Ye men of noble name And ardent soul go battle with your spears,
: !

362

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

rob the foe of
life."

And may ye

With
Of maddened elephants they

cries

seized their spears,

Which made a reed-bed of the battlefield And veiled the sun and moon. He lightly slew Those Turkman troops and flung them on the track,
Fell

on the wounded and the

sent their dust

And

While Shamasas Fled and escaped the murky dust of

prisoners, to the up shining sun, with certain men of might

fight.

ii

How Naudar
News Came
"

was slain by Afrdsiydb

of the death of those

to the

Turkman king

famed warriors his heart was pained,

;

His cheeks were wet with his heart's blood.

He

said

Naudar

is

in

my prison,

yet
!

my

friends

V. 272

Are vilely slaughtered thus What can I do " blood and new But shed his cause for feud ? give He was enraged and cried " Where is Naudar, For Wisa calleth for revenge on him ? Bring him," he told an executioner, " That I may teach him war." Naudar on hearing Knew that his time was come. A clamorous throng Departed, bound his arms firm as a rock, And haled him bare both head and foot, fordone, In shameful plight before the Crocodile.
:

Full of impatience great Afrasiyab Looked out for him, and seeing him approach Reminded him of their ancestral feud,

Began with Salm and Tiir, and washed away From heart and eyes the reverence due to kings.

NA UDAR
ill may come," a scimitar, Smote Shah Naudar upon the neck and flung In foul contempt the body in the dust.

363

"

Thou

hast deserved whatever

He

said, called fiercely for

Thus passed that Memory

of

Shah Mimichihr
!

And

left

Iran bereft of throne and crown.

O man of knowledge shrewd exceedingly Don not the whole robe of thy greed, for throne And crown have seen already many an one
Like thee, and thou mayst hear their history. thou hast gained the object of thy lust And appetite hath ceased, so strong before, Why shouldst thou ask this gloomy mournful dust
If

To make thee miserable any more ? They haled the other captives forth in shame,

And
Saw
"

asking quarter.
this

Virtuous Ighriras and anxiously besought the king

noble warriors

blood mere prisoners Disarmed is base, and base where we should look For magnanimity. 'Twere worthier far To spare their lives. Commit them bound to me

many And horsemen in cold

To

slay so

y. 273

And I will prison them within a cavern, Well guarded. Prison will restore their wits But shed not blood." At Ighriras' request, his and distress earnestness, Perceiving The monarch spared their lives, and bade men take The captives to Sari in shameful bonds. This done he marched from Dahistan to Rai, Hid earth beneath his cavaliers and made His chargers sweat, assumed the royal crown, Bestowed a liberal largess of dinars, And played as monarch of Iran his part With thoughts of war and vengeance in his heart.
;

364

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

12

How

Zdl had Tidings of

the

Death of Naudar
"
:

This news reached Gustaham and Tus

The Grace
off

Of kingship

is

obscured.

They have struck

Remorselessly with trenchant scimitar The head that wore the crown, and all is over." Men tore their faces and plucked out their hair,

cry of mourning went up from f ran, The great put dust and earth upon their heads,
All eyes wept tears of blood, all robes were rent. Men turned their faces toward Zabul ; their tongues

Spake of the Shah, their souls yearned for the Shah. They went to Zal in mourning and in pain, With blood-stained cheeks and dust upon their heads. " They cried good and valiant Shah Naudar
: !

O
v. 274

great just monarch, wearer of the crown, The guardian of Iran, the prop of nobles, The head of kings and monarch of the world Thy head is seeking for a crown from dust

And
The

earth

is

savouring of the blood of Shahs.

fields

grasses on these

and

fells

are hanging

Their heads in shame before the sun while we Ask vengeance, mourning as it were a father,

In

whom

the stock of Faridiin survived,

While earth was servant to his horse's shoe. Now him and all that famous troop have they Beheaded shamefully, despitefully But we will draw our swords of watered steel, Will go to seek revenge and slay the foe So arm ye and revive the ancient feud.
;
:

The heaven

is

Its eyes rain tears of

surely with us in our grief blood for very ruth.

NA UDAR

365

Do ye too fill your eyes with tears like those And strip your bodies of their dainty dress,
For in revenge for kings it is not well That eyes should stint their tears or hearts The mournful multitude wept bitterly,
'

their rage.

burnt as though upon a raging fire, While Zal rent all his raiment and sat down

And

With lamentable

He

said

"
:

My

outcries in the dust. trenchant blade shall ne'er behold

Sheath

till

Shall be

the Resurrection, my white charger my throne, a spear mine only tree,

My place a stirrup and a dusky helm The crown upon my head. There is no rest Or slumber in this feud. No stream can match The river of mine eyes. Oh may the soul Of great Naudar shine bright amid the mighty,
!

And may

soul for Faith

to die

the Lord of earth bestow on you and duty. All of us

;

Are born

it is

our

lot

whereto
the captives heard

We yield our necks."

Now when
"
:

The Iranians

They Have

upon the march for vengeance, send out cameleers on every side, gathered countless troops and have renounced
are

v. 275

and delights," they neither ate nor slept, Such was their terror of Afrasiyab. A message from them came to Ighriras " O man of mighty purpose, famous chief We are thy slaves in all, and by thy word
:

Home

We

live.

And Men

thou knowest, is at home with the monarch of Kabul. acting like Barzin, Karan the warrior,
Zal, as

Kharrad, and that host-shatterer Kishwad, Are men of might with hands that reach afar And will not keep their clutches off f ran.

366

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

these warriors wheel about us here brandish their sharp lances in his sight The great Afrasiyab will be enraged, His heart will be inflamed against his captives, And for his crown's sake he will bring to dust The heads of all our blameless company.

Now when
And

If prudent Ighriras see

fit

to free

us
for him."
;

We will disperse,
And make
'Twere a

praise

him
"
:

before the great

thanksgiving unto

God

Wise Ighriras
foe's

Such skilleth not replied this human Ahriman act;

I will not

Would be
So that
V. 276

incensed.

take other order

my

brother

In vengeance. And will advance

I will deliver

may not turn upon me If now Zal is keen for war

to fight

us at Sari

you to him, myself Evacuate Amul, forbear to fight And bring to infamy my honoured head." At this reply the nobles of 1 ran Bent to the ground, and full of praise for him Despatched a courier from Sari with speed To Zal, the son of Sam. The message ran " Our God hath pitied us wise Ighriras This is the pact between us Is now our friend. If only two Iranian warriors Shall come and offer fight that noble man,
: ;

Who

walketh fortune's path, will quit Amul For Rai, and so some one of us may scape

The Dragon's

clutch."

And made
The

the glad news

The courier reached Zabul known to Zal, who called

:

" nobles, told them all, then said Pards of the fray and winners of renown

My
!

friends,

Who is the warrior of princely heart, All black with courage, who will raise his neck

NAUDAR
To touch the sun by undertaking this ? Kishwad accepting struck his breast and said " My hand is ready for an act so just." The glorious Zal approved him, saying thus " Live happily while months and years endure." So from Zabul a troop of warriors Intent on war set face toward Amul. When they had journeyed for a stage or two The tidings came to Ighriras their friend, Who blew the brazen trumpets, marched away His troops and left the captives at Sari. When fortunate Kishwad arrived he found The key to loose their bonds, provided steeds,
:

367
"

v. 277

And from Amul sped toward Zabul. When Zal Was told " Kishwad is coming back in triumph," He gave a largess to the mendicants,
:

The robe that he was wearing to the messenger, And when Kishwad approached went out to meet him
In state, while weeping tears of joy for those That had been captive in the Lion's clutch, And then with dust upon his head wept tears Of grief o'er famed Naudar. He took the loved ones

Within the city, gave them palaces, And they became as when Naudar was king, Possessed of crowns and thrones and diadems, While Zal distributed his treasure-store Until the army could desire no more.

13

How

Ighriras icas slain by his Brother

When

Ighrfras went from

"
:

The king asked

Amul to Rai Wherefore hast thou acted thus

?

Why hast

thou mingled colocynth with honey

368

THE SHAH NAM A OF FIRDAVSI

I

Did

not bid thee

' :

Slay these evil

'

men

It will be folly to

imprison them

V. 278

warrior's head is not concerned with statecraft, His fame is gained upon the battlefield Nor should the soldier tread the path of wisdom, For wisdom never mingleth with revenge." " Tears and compassion are not wholly needless," He answered. " When thou hast the power to harm Fear God and do it not, for crown and girdle See many like thee but are no man's own For ever."
;

The

Hearing this Afrasiyab silenced, for the one was full of fire, The other wise and how should wisdom fit Divs' heads ? .At his reply the chieftain raging, Like elephant gone mad, drew forth his scimitar

Was

And And
"

cut his brother

down

that

man

of

wisdom
:

Now

goodness passed away. shall the fortune of Afrasiyab

Zal heard, and said

Be darkened and

his throne laid waste."

He
The trumpets, bound the tymbals on, arrayed The army like the eye of chanticleer

blew

V. 279

and revenge, With troops that stretched from sea to sea, and darkened The sun and moon with dust. Afrasiyab, On hearing Zal's design, marched forth his host Toward Khar of Rai, drew up and took his stand. The outposts were engaged both day and night Thou wouldst have said " The world hath but one hue." Both hosts lost many a gallant man of mark. Twas thus until two sennights passed away, And horse and foot were weary of the fray.
Pars, in anger
;
:

And went toward

IX

ZAV,

THE SON OF TAHMlSP

HE REIGNED
FIVE YEARS

ARGUMENT
After the execution of Naudar the throne remains for a while
vacant, his sons Tiis and Gustaham being considered to succeed. Zav, by the advice of Zal, is made Shah.

unworthy The war

against Afrasiyab continues, and the sufferings of both armies are aggravated by drought and consequent famine. Both sides become eager for peace, which is successfully negotiated, rain falls and

Zav

dies.

NOTE
Zav is described in the Shahnama as the son of Tahmasp and descended from the race of Faridun. In the Bundahish he is said to be the grandson of Naudar. 1 Zav is mentioned in the Zandavasta " We worship the Fravashi (i.e. the immortal prin2 ciple) of the holy Uzava, the son of Tiimaspa." The passing over of Tiis and Gustaham, the sons of Naudar, on the express ground of their unfitness, as not being possessed of the divine Grace of sovereignty, seems to find its justification in what we learn of their characters later on, at all events in the
:
'

case of Tiis, who is described as being hot-headed, revengeful, and a brave but unsuccessful general. Gustaham almost drops out of the poem and his place is taken by another hero of the same name, Gustaham the son of Gazhdaham the castellan of the

White
him;

Castle.

Tiis is represented as
it

always resentful of the slight put upon induces him to oppose the accession of Kai Khusrau,
1

WPT,

i.

136.
369

DZA,

ii.

221.

370

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

and subsequently to make the unprovoked attack which results Zav and Afrasiyab, which make the Jihiin the boundary between Iran and Tiiran, we have the beginning of much geographical confusion in the Shahnama. The Aras was really meant. 1 Drought and famine are frequent phenomena in the table-land
of Iran. in the death of Fariid, that Shah's brother. In the terms of the treaty of peace between

Zav

is elected

Shdh

One night

as Zal sat speaking to his chiefs

And

retinue about Afrasiyab, He said " Although our paladins possess Unsleeping fortune and enlightened minds
:

We need
A
Oh had
!

Skilled in the lore of eld.

a Shah, one of the royal race, The host resembleth

v. 280

is wind and sail. but Tus and Gustaham the Grace. We lack not troops, but men, however noble, That have not prudence, merit not the crown And throne. We need a Shah of puissant fortune, A man of Grace through whose words wisdom shineth. They found none of the seed of Faridiin But Zav, son of Tahmasp, with monarch's might And hero's worth to grace the lofty throne. Karan took with a gallant company The joyful news to Zav " In thee reviveth The crown of Faridun. Zal and the troops " Acclaim thee as the Shah, worthy one

ship whereto the throne

On an auspicious day fair-fortuned Zav Came and acceded to the lofty throne.
The mighty
praised him, showering offerings
;

Zal too did homage.

1

Five years passed away

See Introd.
p. 71.

(ZAV
And
all

37i

While Zav, a wise old man, sat on the throne And judged and lavished till the world grew young. He kept his soldiers back from evil ways,

Wrapped up himself in communings with God. None dared to rob or slay, but after him

Men saw no lack of slaughter. There was a famine, There was not dew or rain, the ground and herbs Were parched, and bread was worth its weight in drachms. The hosts had faced each other for five months,
Engaged in fierce encounters day by day As fitteth chiefs and heroes, but that famine Left them resourceless, wasted woof and warp,
confessed
"
:

We

are ourselves to blame,"

While wails and cries for help rose from both hosts. At length an envoy came to Zav and said " It is our own fault that this Wayside Inn Affordeth naught but travail, care, and anguish. Come let us share the earth and bless each other." They gave up thoughts of war for famine pressed,
:

drop the ancient feud, to share l to just precedent And put all bygones out of memory. The portion of f ran both near and far

Agreed

to

The world according

v. 281

Twixt the Jihun and marches of Tiiran, And so along toward Khutan and Chin, Was given to the Turkmans as their kingdom, While Zal abandoned all the nomad tribes. Such was the sharing, such the Turkmans' bounds. Then Zav led forth his host to go to Pars, Old as he was he made earth young again While Zal departed for Zabulistan And men received them both with open arms. The roar of thunder filled the mountain-tops
;

Probably referring to Faridtin's settlement.

372

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

;

And
It

earth recovered colour, scent, and beauty was as 'twere a youthful bride, arrayed In fountains, pleasances, and rivulets, For fortune would be neither dark nor hard If man had not the temper of a pard. Zal called the chiefs and offered thanks to God,

Who
Men And

had converted
set

scarcity to plenty,

up feasting-places everywhere banished feud and cursing from their hearts. Thus for five years men knew not wrong or travail, Yet verily the world grew sick of justice

And

Now when

longed to be within the Lion's claws. he reached his sixth and eightieth year
ruler's leaf

That sun-like

began

to sear,

The Iranians' fortune halted and the day Of Zav, the righteous worldlord, passed away.

GAESHlSP
HIS REIGN

WAS NINE YEARS

ARGUMENT
On the death of Zav his son Garshasp succeeds to the throne, and Afrasiyab seizes the opportunity to renew the war. Garshasp himself dies, and the Iranians being hard pressed appeal to Zal, who promises that his son Rustam shall come to their assistance. The poet then tells how Zal gave Sam's mace to Rustam, how the latter won his charger Rakhsh, and how Zal led the host against Afrasiyab, and sent Rustam to fetch Kai Kubad from Mount Alburz to be Shdh in succession to Garshasp.

NOTE
In the summary in the Dinkard of the lost Kitradad Nask mention is made of Keresasp, who is placed between Kai Kubad and Kai Kaiis. 1 Keresasp appears there to be identical with the great hero, of whom an account has been given in the introductory note to Faridiin, and if so apparently we must identify Garshasp, the tenth Shah, with him as well. In the Shahnama, however, he is a mere nominis umbra, and Firdausi places him before Kai Kubad, the first Shah of the Kaianian dynasty, and makes him the son of the preceding Shah Zav and the last of the Pishdadians. His personality had already, as we have seen in the note above referred to, become split up, and his reign is a blank so
far as he is concerned.

The reader
castellans.
2

will note Rustam's reference to bishops acting as In the wars between the Eastern Roman Empire and

WPT,

iv. 28.

p. 378.

373

374

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

the Sasanians, bishops and other ecclesiastics often took a very important part in the defence of besieged cities. Thus S. James, the Bishop of Edessa, took a leading part in several successful defences of Nisibis against Sapor II. 1 The fact of the church militant thus became impressed on the Eastern mind, and by an anachronism not uncommon with him, Firdausi transfers the usages of later times to earlier ages. The reader will note too the vision of the divine Grace of kingship which prepared Kai Kubad for his accession to the throne. It appeared again visibly in the shape of a ram before the accession of Ardshir Papakan, the first Shah of the Sasanian dynasty. When it quitted Yima it flew away in the shape of a bird. 2

Hme

Garshdsp succeeded

to the Throne and how Afrdsiydb invaded Iran

died,

and

v. 282

Zav had a puissant son by name Garshasp sat upon the throne and donned the crown. He ruled the world with majesty and Grace, But tidings reached the Turkmans " Zav hath gone

Who
And

left

an empty throne."
Afrasiyab

Sent up the war-cry, launched his ships and made For Khar of Rai, but no one brought to him

A greeting from
With
For

Pashang, whose head was

filled

All wild with grief hate, his heart with strife. and crown he recked not, of throne Ighriras,
let

Would never

And

look upon Afrasiyab the shining sword grow dull with rust Albeit messengers were sent to him
:

Month after month, but he denied himself, And said " Whatever prince were on the throne

A friend
But

like Ighriras would profit him, thou art one to shed a brother's blood
flee

And
1

before the nursling of a fowl.

2

KSM,

155-164.

See introductory note to Janishid.

GARSHASP
I sent

373

thee forth to battle with the foe hast slain thy brother
!

And thou

disown thee

Thou shalt not look upon my Thus matters fared awhile

face again."" at length the tree

Of bale bore colocynth. 'Twas in the year Wherein Garshasp the son of Zav departed That evil showed itself, for tidings reached All ears " The throne of king of kings is void." There came a message to Afrasiyab
:

283

stone flung by Pashang " Cross the Jihiin And tarry not until yon throne be filled."
:

Between Jihiin and plain of Sipanjab Afrasiyab arrayed his armaments, And thou hadst said " Earth is a turning sky
:

Where Indian swords

are shedding souls for rain."

So sped that splendid army forth to war. " There is a claimant for the throne of might," Such tidings reached fran. The throne was void, The outlook dark. Anon the streets and quarters Were all astir, cries rose from all the land And men turned toward ZabuL The world was filled With strife and folk spake bitterly to Zal " Thy handling of the world hath been too lax.
:

Since thou hast held Sam's place as paladin Our minds have not been joyful for a day. When Zav departed and his son was Shah

The hands

of evil

men

were kept from

ill.

Now
The

seeing that Garshasp hath passed away world is Shahless and the army chiefless.
crossed Jihun,

A host hath

men

cannot see

The sun for dust. If any shift thou knowest Use it, because Afrasiyab approacheth." Zal answered " Since I girt the belt of manhood
:

No

rider like

me

None hath essayed

hath bestridden steed, to wield my sword and mace,

v. 284

376

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

their cruppers, not their reins,
I appeared. I

And horsemen showed

have fought night and day And all my life have dreaded growing old. At length my back is bent, I wield no more
falchion of Kabul yet God be praised That from my root a glorious shoot hath sprung, Whose head will reach the sky, and thou shalt see
;

When

It

in valour, Rustam being now straight-stemmed Cypress' whom the crown of great-

grow

ness

Becometh well but he must have a charger These Arab horses will not do for him. I will seek out some elephantine steed, Wherever there are herds, and say to Rustam
;
; '

Wilt thou consent, consent with all thy heart To gird thy loins to execute revenge

Upon

the offspring of

Zadsham

' '

Iran

Was
His
"

glad of heart and blithe of face as Zal Sent camel-posts to every quarter, armed
cavaliers, and said to Rustam thus Mine elephantine son, a whole head taller Than other men a work of toil is toward To break thy slumbers, quiet, and delights. Thou art not yet of age to fight, my son But what of that ? This is no time for feasting. Yet with the scent of milk upon thy lips, And with thy heart all set on sports and pleasures,
:

How

shall I send thee to the battlefield

Against the Lions and the mighty men ? Now for thine answer, and may majesty And goodness be thy mates."

V. 285

Then Rustam thus renown O Good sooth thou hast forgotten how I showed
"

noble prince, ambitious of

GARSHASP

377

My courage publicly. The paladin Hath surely heard of the fierce elephant, And Mount Sipand, and I shall lose my fame If now I tremble at Afrasiyab.
is the time for fight and not for flight. The overthrow of Lions, the pursuit Of war, renown, and battle, fashion heroes But 'tis not so with women their concern

This

Is food

and

sleep."

Zal said

"

The

chief of princes

and the

gallant youth, warriors' stay

:
!

My heart rejoiceth when I hear thee speak Of that white elephant and Mount Sipand,
For truly since that
fight

was won with ease

Afrasiyab

Why
And
Yet

fear I for thee

now ?

his designs deprive me of sleep, can I send thee to contend with one

my

Who is a gallant king and Now is thy time for feasts

For quaffing wine, and
'Tis not

loveth battle

and twanging harps,

deeds
;

tales of warlike

thy time for warfare, fame, and strife, Or sending up the earth's dust to the moon." He said " I am not one for ease and revel.
:

'Twere base to pamper in luxuriousness

Such arms

What though
God

and these long hands of mine. the battlefield and fight be hard and victorious fortune are mine aids.
as these,

In battle thou shalt mark

me how

go

Upon my ruddy And I will carry

charger through the blood, in my hand a cloud l

:

That is of watered hue but raineth gore, While from the substance of it flasheth fire Its head shall bruise the brains of elephants,

My
.

quiver

when

I clothe
1

myself in mail
steel.

I.e.,

a mace of

378

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USI

all

Shall shock the world, and

V. 286

the fortresses

That

mine iron mace's blows, My breast and arms and neck, need never fear An arbalist or catapult, or want A bishop for their castellan. The rocks
shall withstand

Shall redden to their cores

My

lance in fight.

Caught by my lasso, In war, and not impatient of

I

when I advance need a steed hill-high up to weight like mine

restraint.

need a mace too like a mountain-crag, For hosts will come against me from Tiiran, And when they come, though I should fight unaided,
Their blood shall rain upon the battlefield." The paladin was moved, and thou hadst said,

He will pour out his soul." He thus replied O tired of ease and revel I will bring thee The mace of Sam the cavalier, preserved
"
!

"

In memory of him, wherewith thou slewest

The elephant.
:

Zal ordered In his campaign against Mazandaran

V. 287

Live ever, paladin " Bring the mace employed by

!

"

Sam

To this famed paladin that he may take Our foemen's breath away." When Rustam saw it He smiled with joy, called blessings down on Zal, And said " Thou art the chief of paladins But now, to bear my person, mace, and Grace,
:

need a steed."
oft

And

what he said his head. on invoked God's blessing

Zal
at

mused

How Rustam

caught Rakhsh

When

And many from

Zal had gathered all his herds of horses, Kabul, the herdsmen drove them

GARSHASP
Past Rustam, calling out the royal brands. Whenever Rustam caught a steed he pressed

379

back until its belly reached the ground. At length a herd of piebald steeds sped by, Among them a grey mare short-legged and fleet, With lion's chest and ears like two steel daggers, Her breast and shoulder full and barrel fine. Behind her came a colt as tall as she, His buttocks and his breast as broad as hers, Dark-eyed and tapering a piebald bay With belly hard and jet-black, hoofs of steel, His whole form beautiful, and spotted roan
Its

Like roses spread upon a ground of saffron. He could discern the tiny emmet's foot Upon black cloth at night two leagues away,

Had elephantine strength with camel's stature, And pluck of lions bred on Mount Bistun.

v. 288

Now Rustam
"

gazing on the mare observed That elephantine colt, and coiled his lasso To catch it, but an ancient herdsman cried
chief
!

forbear to take another's charger." " Whose ? " Rustam asked. " The thighs have not

been branded."

Never mind his brand There are all kinds of rumours as to him. We call him Rakhsh. He is a piebald bay, As good as water and as bright as fire. We call him Rustam's Rakhsh,' but know of none To master him. He hath been fit to saddle These three years. All the nobles have observed him, But at the sight of noose and cavalier

The herdsman answered

"

'

The dam

is

like a lion.
!

We cannot tell,
when
the

chief of paladins the reason why, But as a prudent man forbear to fight

Dragon such

as this, for

mare

38p

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAUSI

Is in the fighting humour she will rend The hearts of lions and the hides of pards."

The

old man's sayings opened Rustam's eyes,

He

cast his royal lasso

and entangled
like a furious elephant

would tear off Rustam's, Who roared as savage lions roar and scared her, Then with one buffet on the withers sent her All trembling to the ground. She rose, sprang back, Then turned and joined the herd, while mighty Rustam Stood firm and drew the lasso tighter still, And laid his hand upon the bay colt's back
as she
v. 289

The piebald's head. The dam advanced

Then

thou hadst said " It is not felt." The hero thought " This is the mount for me Now I can act."

Which gave

not

He mounted The ruddy steed sped with him.

"

swift as wind,

He

inquired

What

this Dragon's price or who can tell it ? " " If thou art Rustam," said the herd, redress
is

"

Iran upon his back.

Shall be his price
;

The

He He

said

hero's lips " All good

:

Its broad champaign then thou wilt right the world." grew coral-like with smiles
;

is

God's."

Bent on revenge saddled ruddy Rakhsh, and giving him The rein observed his courage, strength, and blood, And that he could bear rider, arms, and mail. The piebald grew so precious that at night

They burned wild rue to right and left of him For fear of harm. " They practise sorcery," Thou wouldst have said. In fight no deer was

swifter.

He was

With The gallant rider and his new-found steed Made Zal's heart joyful as the jocund spring.

soft-mouthed, foam-scattering, light in hand, rounded buttocks, clever, and well paced.

GARSHASP
oped his treasury-door, gave out dinars, Nor recked of day or morrow. When he mounted His elephant and dropped a ball the sound Made by the cup was heard for miles around.

He

How

Zdl led the Host against Afrdsiydb

There was a noise of drums and clarions, Of mighty elephants and Indian gongs
;

'Twas Resurrection in Zabulistan And earth called loudly to the dead

"
:

Arise

"
!

A host

departed from Zabul like

lions';

All hands were bathed in blood.

In front came Rustam As paladin, then veteran warriors. The troops so spread o'er passes, plains, and dales That ravens had not room to fly, while tymbals Beat everywhere and tumult filled the world As at that time of roses Zal led forth The army from Zabul. Afrasiyab Thereat arose from banquet, rest, and slumber, And marched toward Khar of Rai along the meadows Among their streams and reeds. The franian host
o'er the desert to the scene of war,

v. 290

Fared

the armies were two leagues apart Zal called the veterans, and thus harangued them " Ye men of wisdom, well approven warriors
!

And when

arrayed us here an ample host with advantages yet with no Shah Upon the throne our plants want rede, our toils Lack purpose, and our troops a head. When Zav

We have
And

Was on the throne new glory ever came, And now we need a Shah of royal seed

382

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDAVSI

told

To gird him there. An archimage hath Of valiant Kai Kubad of royal stature, A future Shah of Faridun's own line
In

me

whom

Grace, height, and lawful claims combine."

How Hustam

brought

Kai Kubdd from Mount Alburz

:

V. 291

Then glorious Zal spake unto Rustam, saying Bestir thyself, take up thy mace, select The escort, go with speed to mount Alburz,
"

Do homage

unto Kai Kubad, but stay not

sennights, sleep not,
:

With him, be back within two

'

But late and early hurry on and tell him The soldiers long, and deck the throne, for We see none fitted for the royal crown,

thee.

monarch, our defender

but

"

thyself.'

When Zal had spoken matchless Rustam swept The ground with his eyelashes, joyfully Got on the back of Rakhsh, and proudly rode In quest of Kai Kubad. A Turkman outpost Held the road strongly, but he charged the foe As champion of the host with his brave troops,
Armed with the ox-head mace. He brandished it And towering in his wrath struck out and raised
His battle-cry. The Turkmans' hearts all failed, His arm laid many low. They strove with him. But had to flee the battle in the end. With broken hearts and tearful eyes they turned Back to Afrasiyab, and told him all. He sorrowed at their case, called one Kulun,

A gallant Turkman warrior full

And
said to

of craft,
host,

him

"
:

Choose horsemen from the

GARSHASP
Go thou
Be
too to the palace of the king,

383

careful, prudent,

and courageous,
;

And And

specially keep watch with diligence

The Iranians
fall

are

human Ahrimans
Kuliin

292

on outposts unawares."

Departed from the royal camp with guides

To bar the road against the noble foe, warriors and lusty elephants. Now Rustam the elect and brave marched on Toward the new Shah, and when within a mile Of mount Alburz perceived a splendid seat With running water and abundant trees The home for youth. Upon a river's bank

With

Was set a throne besprinkled with rose-water And purest musk. A young man like the moon Was seated on the throne beneath the shade, While many paladins with girded loins
Stood ranked as is the custom of the great, And formed a court well fitted for a Shah, Like Paradise in form and hue. On seeing The paladin approach they went to greet him And said " Pass not, famous paladin We are the hosts and thou shalt be our guest.
:
!

Dismount that we may join in jollity, And pledge thee, famous warrior in wine." But he replied " Exalted, noble chiefs I must to mount Alburz upon affairs Of moment, and not loiter in my task. I have much work to do, the Iranian marches Are full of foes, all households weep and mourn, I must not revel while the throne is void."
!
:

If thou art hasting to Alburz They said Be pleased to say of whom thou art in quest, For we who revel here are cavaliers
:

"

v. 293

3&4

THE SHAH NAMA OF FIRDA USI

blest land,

From that And make

"

friends

and we will be thy guides on the way."

The Shah

is

there, a holy

He thus replied man and noble.

His name is Kai Kubad, sprung from the seed Of Faridiin the just and prosperous. Direct me to him if ye wot of him." The leader said " I wot of Kai Kubad. If thou wilt enter and delight our hearts I will direct thee and describe the man." The peerless Rustain hearing this dismounted Like wind, and hurried to the water's edge, To where the folk were seated in the shade. The youth sat down upon the throne of gold And taking Rustam's hand within his own " Filled up and drained a goblet " To the Free Then handed it to Rustam, saying thus " Thou askest me, O famous warrior " About Kubad, whence knowest thou his name ? " Said Rustam From the paladin I come With joyful news. The chiefs have decked the throne And called on Kai Kubad to be the Shah.
:
!

My
'

sire,

the chief

whom men

call Zal, said

thus

V. 294

mount Alburz, Find valiant Kai Kubad and homage him, Yet tarry not, but say " The warriors call thee
escort unto
:

Go with an

And have

If thou hast tidings prepared the throne." Give them and speed him to the sovereign power." The gallant stripling, smiling, answered " I
:

'

Kai Kubad and sprung from Faridiin, I know my lineage from sire to sire." When Rustam heard he bowed, rose from Of gold to do obeisance, and thus spake
:

Am

his seat

"

ruler of the rulers of the world,

shelter of the brave

The

and stay

of chiefs

GARSHASP

385

Now

let fran's throne wait upon thy will, Great elephants be taken in thy toils. Thy right seat is the throne of king of kings May Grace and glory be thine own I bring
!

A greeting

for the

king of earth from Zal,

paladin. slave to speak
seat, intent

The chieftain and the valiant If now the Shah shall bid his
I will acquit

me

of the chieftain's message."

Brave Kai Kubad rose from his

Upon

the speaker's words, while peerless

:

Rustam

Discharged his ernbassage. With throbbing heart The young prince said " Bring me a cup of wine,"

Rustam's nealth, who likewise drained A goblet to the monarch's life, and said " " Thou mindest me of glorious Faridiin (For Rustam was rejoiced at seeing him), " Not for an instant may the world lack thee,
to
:

And drank

The throne of kingship, or the royal crown." The instruments struck up, great was the joy, The grief was small, the ruddy wine went round And flushed the youthful Shah, who said to Rustam " Mine ardent soul in sleep saw two white hawks Approaching from Iran, and bringing with them A crown bright as the sun. They came to me With dainty and caressing airs and set it Upon my head. I wakened full of hope Because of that bright crown and those white hawks, And made a court here such as kings would hold, As thou perceivest, by the river-side. Like those white hawks hath matchless Rustam come With news that I shall wear the warriors' crown." When Rustam heard thereof he said " Thy dream
:

v. 295

IJad a prophetic source. Now let us rise And journey to Iran and to the chiefs."

Then Kai Kubad

rose swift as

fire

and mounted
2 B

y. 296

386

THE SHAHNAMA OF FIRDA USt

steed, while

His

Rustam

girt his loins like

wind

And journeyed proudly with him. Night and day He travelled till he reached the Turkman outposts,

When
Was
'Tis

To meet and

bold Kulun, ware of his coming, marched The Shah thereat fight with him.
:

But mighty Rustam

fain to put his battle in array, said to him "

O Shah
;

not a fight for thee, they will not stand

Against my battleax and barded Rakhsh My heart and arm and mace are help enough I ask but God's protection. With a hand

Like mine and ruddy Rakhsh to carry

me
"
?

Who
He

will confront

my

mace and

scimitar

spake, spurred on

and with a

Threw one and hurled another Whose brains ran down his
hands Unhorsed the
foe

single at a third
nostrils.

blow

Those strong

and dashed them to the ground, and necks and backs. Kulun beheld this div escaped from bonds With mace in hand and lasso at his saddle, Charged him like wind and thrusting with his spear Brake through some fastenings of his mail, but Rustam, What while his foe was lost in wonderment, Seized on the spear and wrenched it from Kuliin, Then roared like thunder from the mountain-tops, Speared him and having raised him from his seat Put down the spear's butt to the ground. 1 Kuliin

And

in their fall brake heads

Was
v. 297

like a spitted bird in sight of

all.

The victor rode Rakhsh over him, and trod him To death. The Turkman horsemen turned to flee

A similar story is told of a Lombard champion who with his great lance (contus) pierced and lifted from the saddle a Byzantine cavalier and bore him aloft wriggling on the weapon's point. (Oman, " A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages," p. 48.)
1

GARSHASP

387

And left Kulun upon the field. His troops Fled in dismay from Rustam. In an instant Their fortune was o'erthrown. He passed the outposts And hastened toward the hills. The paladin Alighted at a place with grass and water Till night had come and he had furnished robes
Fit for a paladin, a royal steed

And

crown, then introduced the Shah to Zal Unnoticed. For a week they sat in conclave
their movements secret. All agreed Kubad hath not his peer in all the world."
:

But kept
"

For seven days they revelled with Kubad, Upon the eighth hung up the crown on high And 'neath it decked the throne of ivory.

I
INDEX
Ahwaz,
'ABBASIDS, dynasty of, 13, 14 Abbreviations, list of, 93 Abtin, father of Faridiin, 144
151, 153, 171, 174

place, 286
xiii,

Alans (Alani), people,

217, 223

19,

Alburz,
145,

mountain,
152,

xv,

4,

71,

168, 235, 248, 250,

Abu-'Ali
of,

Muhammad, Shdhnama

Abu

69 Bakr, Khalifa, 12
35,

Abii Dulaf, friend of Firdausi,

39

AbiVl 'Abbas Fazl bin Ahmad,

minister of
36

277, 298, 351, 373, 382 seq. Alexander, the Great (Sikandar), 14, 49 persecutor of Zoroastrianism, 15, 59, 61, 63, 338 legendary barrier of, 16 paternity of, 55
'All,

Mahmud,

30-32,
24,
38,

Abu'l

Kasim. Firdansi,

112

Khalifa, 12, 40, 41, 106, 107 cult of, 13 assassination of, 13 Firdausi's references to, 24,
37, 40, 41, 106, 107

Abu

Mansiir bin Abdu'r-Razzak, of, 67-70, 99 Abii Mansiir bin Muhammad,

Shahndma

'All

Dilam, friend of Firdausi, 35,39

Abu

patron of Firdausi, 29, 1 10 Talib, uncle of Muhammad,

12
Tiiran,
xv,
seq.,

Allah, Muhammadan the Deity, 50 Alptigin, chief, 20 Arnin, Khalifa, 14

name

of

Afrasiyab, ruler of
42,
55, 72,

337,

342

Amul,

city,

145,

177,

289,

298,

362, 366 seq., 374 seq., 381,

344, 366, 367

382
'Afrit, genie,

Anesthetics, employment
42
321 seq.

of, 236,

AghreVae?, prince (Ighriras), 338 Ahmad Hasan Maimandi, minister of

Anbar,

city,
1 1

founded

by the

Azdites,

Ahmad

ibn

Mahmud, 32, 39, 45 Muhammad, patron

xii,

Animals, domestication of, 126 Ant, the poet's plea for the,
201

of Firdausi, 29

Ahriman, the Evil Principle,

5,

6,

50,

138,

159,

194,

Apsheron, peninsula Aptya, Vedic form

171-174 Arabia, 189 ancient trade
q.v.,

of,

58 note

of

Abtin,

287 ridden by Tahmiiras, 125

Ahura Mazda (Urmuzd), 235

389

of, II

390

INDEX
B
BADAKHSHAN,
Baghdad,
region, 300
city, 14, 160

Arabic, language, 32 infrequent in Shdhndma, 47 Arabs, tbeir raids into and domination over rrdn, 1 1-14

Aras, river, 9 confused with tbe Oxus, 71 Architecture, invention of, 129,
133

Bahman, Shah, 42
Bahrain, Chubina, 14

Bahram Gur, Shah,

Baisinghar

42
his

Khan,

Life

of

Ard, day of, 24, 88 Ardshir Papakdn, 62-64

Shah,

42,

Firdausi, 23 his Preface to the Shahnama,

Aries, constellation, 88, 310, 335 Arjasp, ruler of Turan, 61

Arnawdz, wife
146,

147,

148,

of Faridun, 142, 161 seq., 166,

67-68 Bait al Mukaddas, city, 161 Bcij, Zoroastrian system of praying, 80

Baku, town, 58 note

Balkh,
ancient
seat
of

177

Aryan
tradeof

Arrdn, district, 9 Arslan Jdzib, general, 100

referred to, 114

civilisation, 7

situated

on

ancient

Artaxerxes

II.,

8Mb,

59

route, 57 seat of the

Magi and

Arwand,

river (the Tigris), 160 Arzii, wife of Salm, 188

Aryan, meaning
r^ce, 7
;

of, 7

legend, 60 Zoroaster's successful evangel at, 6 1

relations of Indian
15

branch with frdnians,

as rhyme-word, 74 Barman, Turanian hero, xv,

342,

Asfandiydr, Ininian hero, 42, 55 Ashkdnian, dynasty, 49 Asoka, Indian king, 15 Assyrians, their attacks upon
rrdn, 10

346

seq.,

Barsam,

354, 356 implement in Zoroastriau

ceremonial, 80
Barzin, fire-temple, 237 Barzin, Tranian hero, 365

Astrologers, in the

important

figures
52,

Shahndma,

251,

Bdstdn Ndma, 66-67 Bazh, suburb of Tus, 38

'

278 Astyages, king of the Medes (Manda), 18, 72, 144 Athwya, Zandavastic form of
Abtin,
q.v.,

Bedouins, 135, 179

Bihistiin,

trilingual
of,
1

inscription

on rock

Birmdya, cow, 151-153, 162

Bishop, as castellan, 373, 378 Bistiin, mountain, 328, 379 Biwarasp (Zahhdk), 72, 135, 144 Brains, human, prescribed to

Atropatane,

171-174 province (Azarbai-

jan), 9, 56

Azarakhsh, fire-temple, 61 Azarbaijdn, province (Atropatane), 9, 56, 6 1

Azargashasp, spirit of the lightning, 73, 248, 309, 349

Zahhdk by Iblis, 139, 146 Buddhism, 15 regarded as idolatrous by Zoroastrians, 16

;

Bundahish, Pahlavi
note,
91,

treatise,
125,

70
131,

Arab tribe, 1 1 Azhi and Azi, demon, 142. See too Dahdka and Zahhdk
Azdites,

92,

117,

235.

2 36 >

337

note,

338,

369

INDEX
Bust, place, 252

Cocks and hens, taught

at daybreak, 126

to

crow

stream

of, id.

Buzurjmihr,

chief

minister
27

of

Companions, the Prophet's, praise

of, 1 06

Shah Nushirwan,

Cosmogony, ancient

C
dESAR, 84, 262 Ctesarean birth, of Rustam, 236,
321 seq.

I'ranian, 5, Firdausi's, 102 Crassus, defeat of at Charrae,

71
;

IS

Creation, Zoroastrian account of,

5. ii7 Firdausi's, 102-106

Calendar, old Persian, 88 Cancer, Moou in, an evil omen, 188

Culture-heroes.

See

Gaiiimart,

Hiishang,

Tahmuras,

and

Canopus,

star, 188,
3, 4,

266
16,
19, 56,

Jamshid
57,

Caspian, sea, 338

Cyrus, the Great, 18

Castellan, bishop as, 373, 378 Castes, division of Aryans into,

7
;

D
DAVAS, demons
(divs),
7,

of Iranians into, 130-133

130
seq.,

Castle,

White

(Sipand), 236, 354,

Dahaka (Zahhak),

142, 172

369-

Catullus, quoted, 60 Caucasus, 16

Dahistan, fortress, 280, 344 349, 353. 363

Dakhma,

81

Chaha, hostelry of, 45 Chahdr Makdla, treatise, 23 account of Firdausi in,

39, 45-

38,

Dakiki, poet, 28, 67, 69, 109 verses by, 69 Damawand, mountain, 143, 144,
148, 169, 173

Chalandshdn,

Ahmad
of,

ibu

Mu-

hammad
Characters,

29

Chamrosh, mythical
49

bird, 235 chief of Shdhnama,

Characteristics, of fran, 3

Charrae, defeat of Crassus at, 15 Children, sometimes brought up

un-named,
Cbin,

8,

179

country (often = Tiiran), 189, 229 seq., 261, 262, 351,

371
of,

brocade

269,

333,

and

passim
sea of, 252, 349 Climate, of I' ran, 4, 5 Climes, the seven, 40, 71,

Damda"d, Nask, 70 note Ddnishwar, the dihkdn, 67, 68 Ddni, son of Ddrdb, Shah (Darius Codomanus), 42, 49 Da"ra"b, Sluih, 42, 49 Darband, town and pass of, 16 Darius, Hystaspis, 6, 9, 65 Codomanus, 49, 64 Dastdn (Zdl), 84, 248, 264 Dastdn-i-Sam (Zal), 84 Dastsln-i-Zand (Zal), 245, 248 Daulat Shdh, his Life of Firdausi, 24 Destiny, Muhammadan and Zoroastrian conceptions of, 52
Dihkfin, generic title, 56 Dihkdn = minstrel, 66, 8l Dijla, river (the Tigris), 160

122,

123, 238 Clouds, personified as water-steal-

ing demons, 7

Dilamids, dynasty, 14 Dindr, coin, 81

392
Dinkard,
Pahlavi
treatise,

INDEX
70

Faranak, mother of Faridun,

^5', Faridun, Shah,
54,
55.

145,

note, 373

157, 175
xii,
xiii,

Diram, coin (drachm), 81

Div,

30, 42,
seq.,

demon
Black,

(Dae"va), xii, 42, 50,

42

seq.,

149

82, 130, 209

xii, 82, 117, 120, 121,

170, 278, 286, 288, 329, 335,

34i, 349, 35 !

364, 370, 3 82

126, 127

384, 385

Binder

of

the (Tahmuras),

42, 124

flag of, 293, 295 Farr, divine Grace or Glory, 82

White, 82 Divining cup, 51

Drachm, coin (diram), 81 Dragon = Zahhak, 158, 161,

169, 275,

163,

Farsang, measure of length (parasang), 82 Fariid, son of Siydwush and half brother of Kai Khusrau, 370

288

Faridun

as, 186

of the Kashaf, 235, 296 Dragon's child (Riiddba), 304 Drangiana, province (Sistan), 4

Dreams, veridical, 51 Drought and famine, in fran,

371.

Farwardin, name of day and month, 88, 133 263 Fdtima, daughter of Muhammad and wife of 'All, 12 Fazl, son of Ahmad. See Abu'l 'Abbds Fazl
Firdausi, materials for
life of,

370,

Dualism, 5, 49, Dunbar, place,

50, 52, 56,

58

252, 256,

autobiographical of, 24 seq. Nizdmi's account

of, 33 Satire on

23 reference*

of, 38,

45

Dust, prevalence of, in I'ran, 3 as a metaphor, 73 Dynasties, Tranian, in Shahndma,

bitterness against

Mahrm'id
of,

Mahmud

40

49

referred to, 373

E
EDESSA, S. James of, 374 Ekbataua, city Ramadan), 17 Elements, the four, 102, 286 Elephant, White, xiv, 327, 377
(
.

takes up the Shdhnama on Dakiki's death, 28 writes Yusuf and Zulikha, 45 death
of,

45

his epic
his

method contrasted
of

with Homer's, 47
adulation

Ellipi,

kingdom

of, 9,

17

Euxine, sea, 16
Eyes, metaphor 180, 181, 194
for children, 178,

Mahnnld,
Aryans,

30, 112

Fire, ancient cult of the

7, 49, 56.

priests.

See

Magi
of, 123 feast of

F
,

region
title

56 Hiishang's discovery
of,

dynastic

of the

his

institution

of

princes of Chin and Mdchin,

(Sada), 123
Fish, mythological, 71, 72,
148,

262

Fakkd, a kind of drink, 43 note

Famine and drought,

370, 371

in Tran,

252 introduction of, Flesh-meats, attributed to Ahriman, 138

INDEX
Forts, hill, description of, 236, 329

393

H
Ha'iy, son of Kutiba, patron of Firdausi, 35, 39 Haitalians, people, 20

Frangrasyan (Afrdsiyab), 338

Frasiyav (Afrdsiyab), 338 Fruvashi, immortal principle, 369

G
GAitfMART,
123
Shall,
xii,

Haimivardn, country, 338

king
117-121,

of,

Karat, city,

7,

338 39

battle of, 21

Gandarep, monster, 143, 172-173 Gang-i-Dizhukht, city, 161, 226 Garshasp (Keresaspa), 174 Garsh;tsp, Iranian hero, 42, 144,
207, 212, 214, 239 Garshasp, Shah, xv, 174, 373 seq. Garsiwaz, brother of Afrasiyiib,
342,

Hdrunu'r-Rashid, Khalifa, 14 Hdshimi, a descendant of Hash im,

the

great

grandfather
25

of

Muhammad,
Hauz, 203

Hawk,
55

domestication of, 126 Heroes, chief, of mixed descent,

349

Gaumata,

Magus

(the

false

Hindustan, 163, 231, 261

Hira, city, 1 1 seat of dynasty of
55

Smerdis), 58, 59 Gazhdaham, the castellan

of

Al Munzir,

White

Castle, 354, 369

Genealogical tables, 90-92 Ghazni, city, 20, 357 Ghiil, sorceress, 42

Gil
(Gilaii),

Homa

Hirmund, river, 358, 359 or Soma, 8, 143 Homer, his epic method contrasted with Firdausi's, 47

231

Gildn, region, 230

Gimimi.

See Kimmerians

Horoscopes, 152 of the sons of Favidiin, 188

of Zdl, 251, 278 of Rustam, 278, 307 Houri, maid of Paradise, 272

Glory, the divine. See Grace Go-between, old woman as, 280
seq.

Gog, and Magog, 16 Golden Fleece, land of

Huns,
the, 57

10,

19
xii, 42, 122, 126,

Hiishang, Shah,

age, 129, 134 Gonier. See Kimmerians

Grace or Glory, the divine,

82,

16,

130-135, 208, 237, 338, 340,

341, 351, 369, 370, 374, 378 visible appearances of, 82, 130. 374, 385

IBLIS, the
xii,

Muhammadan

Devil,

136 seq. occasional substitution of for

Ahriman,

50,

70

Greeks,

10, 14

Griffon, 235

fd-i-Kurdi, feast of, 143 of Afrdsiyab, Ighriras, brother

Gudarz, Tranian hero, 42

GushUsp, Shall, 42, 61 Gustaham, son of Naudar,

xv, 55, 337, 363 seq., 374

351,

343 seq., 347,

353, 364, 369, 370 Gustaham, son of Gazhdaham,

Imagery, of Shdhndma, 72 Indo-European race, its divisions,

7

369

Indus, 71, 252

394
Introduction, to Shdhnama,

INDEX
viii,

3-95
Traj,

youngest son of Faridiin,

xiii, 54,

Julian, Emperor, 12 Jupiter, planet, 72, 161, 188, 281 Justinian, Emperor, 16

174, 195-205, 217,

335, 349

naming
Irani,

of,

188
205, 206

K
KiBiL,
city,

daughter of, xiii, gardens of, 100, 113

57,

234,

256, 262,

268, 277,

282, 283, 286, 294,

Tran, xv, 113, 152, 153, 189, 364

and passim boundaries and

istics, 3 seq.

298, 300, 302 seq., 365, 378 Kdbulistan, country, 15, 252, 263, 286, 299, 316, 357

character-

idolatry in, 16, 258

gradual desiccation of, 3 drought and famine in, 370, 37 1 a land of contrasts, 5, 58, 60

Arab conquest

of,

12

Iranians, the, 9 passim their historical relations with

the Beauty of (Rtiddba), 302 Kddisiyya, battle of, 12, 143 Kahtdn, desert, 287 Kaidnian, dynasty, 49, 373 Kaidnush, brother of Faridun,
158 seq.

the

Semites,

10

Greeks

and Romans, 14; Aryans

of India, 15
;

Turanians, 16
relations

their

traditional
ditto, 54, 55,

with
Irma'il,

66

fran-vej, region, 9, 62

Zahhak's cook, xii, 145 Irman, region, 345, 358 Ismd'il, brother of Sultan Mahmiid, 21

Kaid, dynasty of, 55 Kai Kdus, Shall, 42, 338, 373 Kai Khusrau, Shah, 42, 369 Kai Kubdd, Shah, xv, 42. 373, 382 seq. Kdkwi, grandson of Zalihitk, xiii, 225 seq. Kandahdr, city, 286

Karabagh,
Kdran,
211,

district, 9, 56

Trdnian

hero,

xiii,

207,

Ispahan, city, 351 Istuvegu. See Astyages

214-226, 249,

337,

344
279,

seq., 361, 365,

370
253,

Kargasdrs,

tribe,

277,

286, 290, 294, 298, 319, 340.

JAH?LA,

Shdh Jdmasp, Gushtdsp, 42 James, S., bishop of Edessa, 374 Jamshid, Shah, xii, 42, 129 seq.

battle of, 12 chief minister of

Kannuj, city, 99, 115, Karkwi, descendant

261, 357 of Zahhdk,

290 seq. Karmd'il, Zahhak's cook,

xii,

145

Karshipta, mythical bird, 235 Kashaf, river, 235, 296 seq.

meaning of name, 130 Jandal, envoy of Faridun, 177-183 Jasha, king, 67, 68 Jesus, 42 Jewels, discovery of, 133,
as

dragon
xii,

of, id.

Kastarit.

See Kyaxeres
155 seq.,
160,

See Kai Kdus Kdwa, the smith, xii,

Kdus.

160, 214, 361

flag

of,

143,

157,

211,

Jihtin, river (the Oxus), 215, 375

217, 218, 237, 332

boundary between Tran and Turdn, 71, 370, 371

Keresdspa, Traniau hero, 171 234, 235, 373

seq.,

INDEX
Khar, of Rai, 368, 374, 381
Kharijites, Muhammadan sect, 13 Kharrad, fitlnian hero, 365

395
9,

Magi, priests of the Medes,

preservers of

56
56,

tradition,

60
principal seats of, 60 literature of, 61

Khazars, people, 17

Khazarwan, Tdranian

hero,

xv,

345, 358 seq. Khil'at, robe of honour, 82

language Magic, 51

of,

64

Khudai Nania, 66 Khusrau. See Kai Khusrau

Khutan, region, 371
Khvaituk-das, next-of-kin marriage, 60 Kishwdd, Tranian hero, 207, 344,
354,^65, 367 Kimraerians, people,
10, 17

derivation of word, 56 sympathetic, 8

Magog, Gog and, 16 Magophonia, 59 Magus, a priest of the Medes.

See

Magi

Kitradad, Nask, 373 Knathaiti, Pairika, female personification of idolatry, 172 Kubdd, brother of Karan, xv, 207,
217, 218, 346 seq.

Miih Afrid, the mother of Mimichihr, 205 Mdh-i-Azdda Khii,' the wife of
Tiir, 188

Mahmiid, Sultan,
84

21 seq., 31-45,

Kubad, Shah. See Kai Kubad Kulbdd, Turanian hero, 361 Kulun, Tiirdnian hero, 382, 383,
386, 387

Firdausi's panegyrics on, 29 seq., 112 seq.

Satire on, 23, 40 seq. spiteful allusions to in

Kundrav,
Kur'an, 99

minister
164 seq.

of

Zahhak,

xii, 143,

Shdhndma, 33, 34 Mai, city, 252, 256, 261 Maiddn, riding-ground, 83

Mamiin, Khalifa, 14

Rustam

referred to in, 236

Man, the

first, 5

Kurds, people, 9, 64, 147 Kunikhan, Turanian hero, 353

Kiis, place, 177

Firdausi's discourse on the

nature of, 104 Manachihr, 206

Kyaxares, king, 18

Manda, nomad

tribes, 17,

Mansiir, Sdmanid, prince, 20, 21

Maniiskihar (Minuchihr), 338 Mardas, Arab king, 135 seq.

LIBRA, constellation, 310

Lion's

Margli, city, 256

of

House

(constellation

Leo), 188

Luhrasp, Shah, 42

Mars, planet, 72, 332, 339 Marv, city, 7, 45 Mashya, and Mashyoi, 117,

Lumsden, his edition Shdhndma, 76

of

the

Mayors
14

131 of the palace, Oriental,

Mdzandaran,

country,

4,

5,

12,

M
MACAN,
his

253, 290, 294, 296, 298, 319,

323. 339. 378

edition

of

the

Shalmama, 76 Madd, the Med'es,

18,

56

Mazdak, heresiarch, 63 Medea, land of, 57 Medes, 9, 10, 17, 18, 56,

58, 72

396 Median,
seq.

INDEX
language
(Zend),

64

Nasiru'd-Din,
21, 114

title of

Subuktigin,

Mercury, planet, 72 Mihrab, king, xiv, xv, 234, 256 seq., 275 seq., 284 seq., 299
seq., 358, 359, 361 Mil, as rhyme-word, 75

Nasr, brother of Sultan Mahmtid,

21

Mimichihr, Shrill, xiii seq., 42, 206, 209 seq., 234 seq., 337, 339 seq., 348, 363 Mohl, his edition and translation
of the

Nature-worship, of the Aryans, 7.SI Naudar, Shah, xv, 248, 288, 289, 3 26 337 seq., 369
,

Nil, as

rhyme-word, 75

Nile, 40, 71, 114

Nimruz = Sistan = Zabulistan, 1 252,

264, 346, 357

Shahndma,

76, 77

Moola Moon,

Firiiz, 201

Nineveh,
discourse

fall of,

10

Firdausi's

on

kings of that attacked Tran,

10

the nature of, 05 one of the seven planets, 72 Moses, of Chorene, 72, 144, 236 Mu'awiya, Khalifa, 12, 13 Mubid, 83

Nishapur,

city, 36,

45

Nisibis, sieges of, 374

Nizami-i-'Arudi, author, 22 his account of Firdausi, 38

seq., 45,

Muhammad, Muhammad,

the Prophet,

12, 13,

46

40, 41, 106

Noah, the
son
of

I'ranian, 129

Abdii'r-

Nuh bin
36

Mansiir, Samdnid prince,

liuzzak, 68, 99

Muhammad
Muhammad
of the

Lashkari, friend of

Nuh

II.,

Samanid

prince, 21

Firdausi, 99

Mahdi, his edition Shahnama, 76 Mumasenni, tribe, 237 Munzir, dynasty of Al, 55 Mutawakkil, Khalifa, 14

Niishirwan, Shah, 16, 27, 42 has Bastan-nama compiled, 67

OCEANUS, Homeric and

7i

Oriental,

N
NAHA VAND,
117, 179

Ox, the

first, 5,

117

battle

Oxus
of,
1

2
8,

(Jihiin),

ancient

trade-

Namfes, in sympathetic magic,

route, 57

confused with Aras, 71

Naphtha, wells

of,

56
42, 174,

Nariman, I'ranian hero,

207, 239, 329, 333 Narimanau, epithet of Keresaspa,

172, 174

PADASHKVAR,
338 Pahlavan, 83

mountain-range,

Narwan,

forest of, 217, 218

1 Properly speaking Zdbulistan is the name of the hilly country about the upper waters of the Helmund, while Nimruz and SIstdn are synonymous names for the low-lying lands into which its waters descend, but Firdausi does not seein to make any such distinction.

INDEX
Pahlavi, meaning of, 64, 83 Firdausi's use of the word, 69
Pari, 83

397
xiv, xv,

Rustam, Tranian hero,

320
his
seq., 373,

42, 56, 68, 174, 234, 236, 237,

376

seq.

Pars, country, 351, 353 seq., 357,

368, 37i

birth

prophesied,
of,

278,

307, 32i

Partisans, people, 10, 19, 60, 61, 64 Pashang, father of Minuchihr, 205 Pashang, father of Afrasiydb, xv,
336, 337, 342 seq., 374, 375 Patrons, of Firdausi, 29 Perfumes, invention of, 133

Caesarean birth
seq.

236, 321

origin of name, 322

S
SACAE, Scythians,
of
17,

19

Periods, mythic

and

historic,

Sacaestan.
Sacrifice,

See Sistdn

Shdhndma,
Persians,
8,

49, 53

human,

and Serpent

9
industry, 56 seq.

Petroleum, in ancient cult and

modern
Pil, as

worship, 143 Sada, feast of, xii, 123, 124 Sagittarius, constellation, 188
Sagsdr,

rhyme-word, 75 Piran, Turduian hero, character

of,

and Sagsdrs,

district

and

tribe, 279, 290, 323,

339
Sultdri

55

Sahi, wife of fraj, 188

Pisces, constellation, 310

Saifu'd-Daula,

title

of

Pislidadian, dynasty, 49, 116, 373

Mahmud,
42, 54,

21
xiii,

Planets, created

by Ahriman, 52

Salm, eldest son of Fariduu,

174,

Pleiades, 245, 267, 332 Prelude, to Shdhndma, 99

183 seq., 335,

342, 344, 362

Prometheus, 57

naming
of

of,

187
of,

Purmaya,
158
seq.

brother

Fariduu,

Salt,

Rustam's caravan
seq.

330

desert, 3

R
RAI,
city, 363,

Sdm, frdnian hero,

95,
seq.
seq., 337,

xiii,

xiv, 42,

174, 207, 212, 231,

234

366

339

seq., 345, 346,

Khar
Rakhsh,

of, 368, 374,

381
steed,

358, 375

Rustam's

xv,

373, 378 seq., 386

blow," 297, 299 slays dragon of the Kashaf,

296
seq.
of,

"One

Roc, mythical bird, 51, 235

Romans,

the, 10, 14
of

mace
Rustam,
seq.,

235, 290, 297, 328,

Ruddba, the mother

xiv, 145, 234,
seq.

280

299

378 Sama Keresaspa Narimanau, Frdnian hero, 171 seq.

described, 257, 259 seq.

Sdmdnides, dynasty, 14

Rue, wild, as a preservative from harm, 380 Rum, the Eastern Roman Empire,
15, 183, 189,

Samarkand, city, 7, 19 Sapandarmad, month and day,

24, 88, 89

229
316,

Sapor

II.

See

Shdpur,

son

of

brocade

of, 157, 252,

and

Urmuzd
Sardparda, 84

passim

398
Sari,
city,

INDEX
230,

289,

363,

366,

367 Sarv, king of

Shapur, son of Urmuzd, Shapur II. (Sapor II.), Shah, 62, 63,

Yaman,

xii,

xiii,

374
Shidasp, minister of Tahnninis, 127 Shidush, 1'ranian hero, 211, 354 Shi'ite, Firdausi a, 24
Shi'ites,

178-186, 211, 214, 218, 286

Sasanian, empire, 11

dynasty, 49 Sdsdnians, 374 Firdausi's Satire,

on

Sultan

Muhammadan

sect, 13

Mahimid, 40
Saturn, planet, 72, 245, 295, 311 Scriptures, Zoroastrian. SeeZ&ndavasta.
Serpent, on Zahhak's shoulders,
139

Shiraz, city, 236

Shirwi,

franian hero, 207,

215,

223, 225, 230, 232 Shiz, seat of the Magi, 60

worship and

human

sacrifice,

Sikandar (Alexander the Great), Shdh, 42, 49 legendary barrier of, 16

paternity
of,

M3
Shabdiz, Mihrab's steed, 326 Shahnjima, original compilation of, 66

55
bird, 51, 235,

Simurgh, mythical

242, 253, 276, 302, 326

more than

one, 29, 66, 67, 69

of,

nest of described, 244 efficacy of feathers of, 246,

Dakiki's beginning Firdausi's, viii, 23

seq.

28
108

seq.,

scene of, 3 date when finished, 24 length, metre, language,

320 Sindukht, wife of Mihrab, xiv, 259, 281 seq., 299 seq. Sipand, mountain, xiv, 236, 329
seq.,
1

377
120, 159, 168, 178,

Sipanjab, region, 375

Sistan,
4, 119,

and theme
anomalies
divisions
of,

of,

47

48
chief char-

182
origin of name, 19 Siyamak, son of Gaiumart,
117, 119 seq. Siydwush, son of

and

acters of, 49

xii,

machinery

of, 51 of,

leading motives

53

Kai Kaus, 55

cosmogony of, imagery of, 72

editions
of,

71

Soma.

See

Homa

S6shyans, the Zoroastrian Messiah, 131

76
of,

87 Shahrintlz, wife of Faridun, 142,

146, 164 seq., 177

translations

Spica, star, 245, 271 Spityura, brother of

shid), 130

Yima (Jam-

Shamdsds,

Ttiranian

hero,

xv,

345. 346, 358 seq.

Sr6vbar, mythical serpent, 172 Subuktigin, the father of Sultdn

Shapigan, treasury of, 61, 62 Shapur, Trdnian hero, 210, 211, 215. 352 Shapur, son of Ardshir, Shapur
I.

Mahmud,
Sughd,

20, 21

district, 19

(Sapor

1.),

Shah, 42, 63

Sun, Firdausi's discourse on the nature of the, 105 one of the seven planets, 72
p. 396.

See note,

INDEX
Sunnites,

399

orthodox madans, 13
51,

Muham159,

U n seq., 67 'UMAR, Umayyads, dynasty, 12, 13 Urmuzd, the Good Principle,

Khalifa,
5

Surush, angel,

119, 120,

168, 173, 182

Sviatoi, island, 58 note

5,

Utbi, Al, historian, 32 'Uthmdn, Khalifa, 12

TABARlSTiN,

chief of, a patron

369,

Uzava

(Zav), 369

of Firdausi, 39, 40 Tahmdsp, father of Zav,

370

Tahmuras,
seq.

Shah,

xii,

42,

125

VALKASH

(Vologeses), king, 62,

Taliman, king, 211, 217, 352 Tammisha, wood, 177, 230 Taraz, city, 257, 266, 269 Tausar, high priest under Ardshir

63 Varewjrana, the raven, 235 Vedas, 129, 144, 171,234, 337

Venus, planet,

72, 303, 322, 332,

Papakan,

62, 63

Thorn brake town, the world, 310

Thrae"taoua, 171 seq. Thrita, 171 seq.
Tishtar, Sirius, 235 Trade-routes, ancient,

339 Vivanghat, 129 Vologeses I. (Valkash), Vologeses II., 19

62,

63

u, 57

W
WATER,
scarcity of, 3 stealing demons, 7, 338

Traitana, 7, Translation,

8,

171 seq.

the principles adopted in present, 77-86 Translators, of the Shahnaina, list of previous, 87
Trita,
7, 8,

Water-courses, underground, 3 West, the, Salm's portion of the

world, 189

171 seq.
xiii,

Wisa, Turanian

hero,

xv,

337,
of,

Tumaspa

(Tahinasp), 369
174,

Tur, second son of Faridun,

42, 54,

353. 356 seq., 361, 362

Wisdom, discourse
101

in praise

183

seq.,

335,

342, 344, 362

White Castle (Mount

236, 354, 369 Writing, art of,

Sipand),

naming

of,

187

Turan, 189,229, 351, 371 Turanians (Turkmans), 9, 10, 54 the Iranians relations of
with, 16

taught by the

divs to Tahmuras, 127

Turkmans

(Turanians),

20,

189,

Turks, 10, 20 Tus, son of Naudar, 351, 353,

364, 369, 370 Tus, city, 38, 39, 41. 45 prince of, 100, 114

YA'KtfB LAIS, chieftain, Yama (Yima, Jamshid),

67,
7
,

68
129
seq.,

Yaman,

country,

178,

181

governor

of,

39

266, 286 king of (Sarv), xii, xiii, 178, 179, 182

4oo

INDEX
Jamshid),
7,

Yima (Yama,
130,

129,

374

Zand, comment, 65 Zimdavasta, 64 seq., 70

144,
171,
172,
174,

note, 129,

Yiisuf and Zulikha, Firdausi's,

45. 46

234, 337,

338, 369

Zarang,

city, 4 Zarasp, son of Minucliihr, 248 Zarathustra (Zarduhsht, Zoro-

ZABUL,

Zabulistiin, country,

248,

aster), 235,

236

252, 254, 264, 282, 324, 345, 357. 35 8 , 36i, 364. 366, 367,, 37i, 375, 381 Zadsham, king of Turstn, 342 seq.,

Zarduhsht (Zoroaster), 53, 61 title of a line of priest-princes,

61
Zarir, tranian hero, 42

376

Zahhak, Shah,
288,
t

xii,

42,

54,

72,

Zav, Shah, xv, 369 seq. Zend, language, 64

Zirak, an archimage, 149, 150 Zirih, sea or lake, 4

135 seq., 173

290,

seq., 275,

278,

292,

303,

326,

338, 358 his minister (Kundrav), xii,

Zoroaster (Zarduhsht), 53, 61, 62 Zoroastriau calendar, 59

164

seq.

cosmogony,

his capita], 161 Zal, the father of

seq.,

Rustam,
235
seq.,

xiii

conception of destiny, 52 propaganda, 58 seq.

scriptures, 61 seq.

95,

145,

337,

364 seq., 370 seq., 381, 382, 384, 387 Zal-i-zar (Zal), 84, 248 Zamydd, Yast, 338

345, 346, 35 8 seq.,

Zoroastrianism, 49

conceptions of, 5, 51, 52 original seat of, 56 seq., 62 scriptures of, 61 seq.
p. 396.

See note,

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